Scripture Reflections for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Year C, Lectionary 120
God's message must be spoken even if it's unsettling for some to hear. Whether others reject us, dismiss us, or harm us, as Christians we must spread God's Word. Afterall, we trust and have faith that God will guide and protect us as we carry out God's mission.
Hate feeling lost on Sundays at church? Searching for a better explanation of the Bible than what you hear from your pastor's sermon? Check out the following collection of audio, video, and text commentaries from various Christian experts for a better understanding of today's scripture that deal with: Change • Child • Church • Commitment • Community • Conflict • Cross • Disciple • Division • Environment • Faith • Family • Fire • Focus • Growth • Holy Spirit • Humility • Identity • Jeremiah • Judgment • Justice • Love • Martyr • Peace • Persevere • Prayer • Prepare • Prophecy • Prophet • Receive • Religion • Sacrifice • Saint • Salvation • Seperation • Suffering • Trust • Truth • Unity •
“many of the obstacles we encounter in life are not meant to be walls but rather stepping stones or ramps”
“Christ was the first one to run the race. He did it with perseverance and the goal, right, the victory that he achieved was resurrection from the dead and his ascension to the right hand of the Father. So that's the ultimate destination and that's the goal of our race as well.”
“what Jesus is saying is, 'there's not going to be any salvation without tribulation first. There's not going to be any kingdom of peace without a time of division first. I have to cast the fire of judgment upon the world and go through the waters of the cross before we can reach the resurrection.'”
“Jesus says some challenging things in this Gospel text...sometimes his word is difficult to understand where he's going but it's meant to get your attention. 'I've come to set the world on fire.' There's one thing about fire: it changes things. You cannot encounter fire and not be changed.”
“Jesus is telling us, 'the call to be my disciple is not something that you can take lightly. It must be the single most important commitment and allegiance in your life. It must take priority over everything else, even bonds as sacred as those of family'...We're talking here about the cost of commitment.”
“today's readings, believe it or not, are hard readings but they're really readings about what? Are there things in our lives that need to be burned away?”
“'Go, set the world on fire' means we build resilience in community to withstand the divisions of this moment because we cannot abide the sort of dehumanization being inflicted on us and so many of God's children, sometimes even in Jesus' name”
“He has come to challenge us to step out of our comfort zones. He has come to meet us where we are so as to take us where we are supposed to be. This is not an easy process for us. It comes like fire. It troubles our pseudo peace. It troubles our false peace. But it liberates us.”
“Christ knows that before true communion can occur we must first seek justice and inclusiveness and forgiveness and healing. And not just for some but indeed for all. That is the work before us today just as it was the work before those in Jesus' day.”
“it may at times be the case that you will find that in your family, in your workplace in order to bring new growth there needs to be a 'fire on the Earth' and the Lord might ask you to hold 'a match.' That's a hard place to be, it's not easy.”
“who are the Jeremiahs in your community, in the Church, in the news, in the world calling you to respond to injustice? Where is the Spirit gently or perhaps forcefully guiding you in the race laid before you?”
“true commitment to God means taking a risk”
