Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, C August 18, 2019
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
Jesus the Son of God is also Jesus the Divine Arsonist. Right here he says, “I have come to set the earth on fire!” It’s a dramatic way of saying he wants the whole earth to burn with the love God has for us and the love we ought to have for God and each other. But that’s not the only dramatic image he uses. Immediately after this reference to the fires of love, he seems to contradict himself: “Do you think I have come to establish peace? No, I tell you, but rather division.”
Why would dividing families set the world on fire with love? By itself, it wouldn’t. But, it is often the side-effect of real love. Jesus puts it right up front to make us realize just how radical his love really is. The burning love of Christ is not a “be nice and get along with people” kind of love. It is a “risk everything else to get this one thing” kind of love. Just as a family can hold you back from marrying the one you love, so they can hold you back from what God calls you to do. All of us, every single one of us, is called to chase after holiness, to “run the race… while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” If others are not running in the same direction, they will inevitably be divided from you.
Of course, it’s not only family. That’s just an emotionally charged example used to make a point. “Let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us.” Ultimately, the real division is between yourself and your own sins. It’s between you and whatever leads you to sin, even if that includes family. Scripture is not being delicate. It outright says you should be willing to resist sin “to the point of shedding blood.” But it also tells us that Jesus Christ showed the way. The goal is not suffering, but joy. True, eternal joy burning with love. For the sake of that joy, Jesus Christ endured the cross. He shed his blood and died. We might have to do the same. We definitely do have to resist sin. That will cause us to suffer. But we must never forget the reason.
And that’s what brings us to the Mass. The first part of my series on the Mass is about repentance. This whole dynamic of fire, repentance, division… and joyful reunion is played out in the rituals and demands of the Mass itself. Division appears before we even start. It’s widely known that Catholics don’t give communion to non-Catholics. We are accused of being “divisive” for that. The truth is, it is divisive in the same way Christ is in the Gospel. But we are equal opportunity dividers. We deny communion to Catholics who aren’t old enough. We deny communion to Catholics who are in the state of mortal sin. We deny communion to people who didn’t fast long enough before Mass!
For the purpose of your participation in Mass, you need to divide yourself from ordinary food. The one-hour fast is a tiny reminder that we aren’t just getting a snack. This is heavenly food! So we avoid eating ordinary food as a reminder to, as the opening prayer said, “love [God] above all things,” even if it means being a little hungry.
More than that, you need to divide yourself from your sins before you go to communion. Go to confession! I hear very few confessions each week, but I see hundreds of people every weekend. Perhaps you’re going elsewhere, but I pray no one is receiving communion in the state of mortal sin! To do so only makes your sin worse, not better.
Think about it, the Mass itself reminds us of the need to repent. The very first thing we do is make the sign of the cross. We recall the instrument of torture and execution that killed Jesus for our sins. Then I ask you to remember your sins. Could you imagine doing that to a guest at your house? “Welcome, please take a moment to remember the ways you’ve hurt me and apologize before you come in for dinner.”
But we do that here because this is not just community time and it’s not just a family meal. Walking into Mass is an anticipation of entering into heaven! You can only go to heaven if you reject sin, if you are divided from evil. We’re all sinners here, so we publicly say, “I have sinned… through my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault.” We own it and we beg mercy for it.
But it doesn’t stop there. After all the reading and preaching and praying, right before we receive communion, we have the sign of peace. This is not a moment of socializing before dinner! It’s not about saying hello or throwing hand signs to your pal. This is a ritual action, it is symbolic of our unity with other Catholics, but it is also a symbol of repentance.
Jesus teaches that if you are going to offer a sacrifice to God, you have to reconcile with your neighbor. He says that if you remember sinning against someone, you should leave the sacrifice and go seek forgiveness first. This is part of what we do at the sign of peace. By turning to the person near you and wishing them peace, you are symbolically acknowledging that you need to seek peace with your neighbor.
Yes, Jesus tells us he divides families, but that’s when they sin against us. We cannot use that as an excuse to sin against them and we still have to forgive them! The sign of peace takes what we say in the Our Father and enacts it; “forgive us as we forgive others.” So, don’t get caught up in a moment of socializing. Remember that when you hug or shake hands with someone, they are not just themselves. They represent all humanity. Wish peace on the one you hurt and the one who hurt you.
Then, finally, we ask for mercy one more time from God himself. “Lamb of God… have mercy on us!” You cannot be united to God if you choose to stay united to your sins! “Grant us peace” only comes after we twice ask for mercy. And the word “grant” makes it clear it is a gift we are given, not something me make happen ourselves.
But the good news is that this really works. You need confession for mortal sins, but receiving communion actually forgives your venial sins, though confessing them is still good to do. Repentance is always about union with God and union with God leads to repentance. Repent! Come to Mass to help you repent even if you can’t receive! Jesus wants to set the world on fire with love. Your sins can be fuel for that fire if only you would let them go and throw them into the flames.