20th Sunday C

Welcome to our Bible Study
20th
Sunday in Ordinary Time C
14 August 2016
In preparation for this Sunday’s liturgy
As aid in preparing our sharing and homilies
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM

1st
reading: Jeremiah 38,4-6.8-10
4 In those days, the princes said to the king; “Jeremiah
demoralizes the soldiers who are left in this city, and all
the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not
interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin." 5
King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power"; for the
king could do nothing with them. 6 And so they took
Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince
Malchiah, which was in the quarters of the guard, letting
him down with ropes. There was no water in the cistern,
only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. 8 and Ebed-
melech went there from the palace and said to him, 9 "My
lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have
done to the prophet Jeremiah, casting him into the cistern.
He will die of famine on the spot, for there is no more food
in the city." 10 Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the
Cushite to take three men along with him, and draw the
prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he should die.
The focus is on sin against Jeremiah.

1st
The Princes and the King
 4 In those days, the princes said to the king; “Jeremiah demoralizes
the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking
such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people,
but in their ruin." 5 King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power";
for the king could do nothing with them.
The Princes and Jeremiah
 6 And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince
Malchiah, which was in the quarters of the guard, letting him down
with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and
Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech and the King
 8 and Ebed-melech went there from the palace and said to him, 9
"My lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have done to
the prophet Jeremiah, casting him into the cistern. He will die of
famine on the spot, for there is no more food in the city." 10 Then
the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite to take three men along
with him, and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he
should die.
A simple outline!

Textual Context of Jeremiah 38,4-6.8-10
Part I Chapters 1-25 Type A and C
Part II Chapters 26-36 Type B
Part III Chapters 37-45 Type B
Part IV Chapters 46-51 Type A
Part V Chapter 52 Type C
Type A = original oracles of Jeremiah
Type B = biographical accounts about Jeremiah's works
and personal sufferings, by his scribe Baruch
Type C = materials handed down and edited by school of Dt.
Part I is composed of oracles and accounts involving the evils of Judah
under the three kings: Josiah (1-6), Jehoiakim (7-20) and Zedekiah (21-24).
Part II contains stories about the prophets and oracles from the times of
Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.
Part III tells the stories about Judah’s last days as told by Baruch.
Part IV are the oracles against foreign nations.
Part V is the appendix describing the Fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., which is
taken from 2 Kings 25 to complete the story of Jeremiah’s world.

1st
The Princes and the King
 4 In those days, the princes said to the king;
“Jeremiah demoralizes the soldiers who are
left in this city, and all the people, by
speaking such things to them; he is not
interested in the welfare of our people, but in
their ruin." 5 King Zedekiah answered: "He is
in your power"; for the king could do nothing
with them.
The Princes and Jeremiah
 6 And so they took Jeremiah and threw him
into the cistern of Prince Malchiah, which was
in the quarters of the guard, letting him down
with ropes. There was no water in the cistern,
only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.
Ebed-melech and the King
 8 and Ebed-melech went there from the
palace and said to him, 9 "My lord king,
these men have been at fault in all they have
done to the prophet Jeremiah, casting him
into the cistern. He will die of famine on the
spot, for there is no more food in the city." 10
Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the
Cushite to take three men along with him,
and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the
cistern before he should die.
Commentary
In v.4 the princes falsely accuse of
Jeremiah of demoralizing the soldiers
and the people, of not being
interested in their welfare, but in their
ruin. A terrible accusation!
v.5 expresses the king’s
helplessness. The princes are too
powerful for him. He leaves them to
do their own design.
V.6 describes the princes’ concrete
action against Jeremiah. (They took
him, threw him down with ropes.)
In vv.8-9 Ebed-Melech reports to the
king what they have done to
Jeremiah: They are so cruel and it’s
all their fault (political crisis).
In v.10 the king authorizes Ebed-melech to
draw Jeremiah out of the cistern.

Reflections on the 1st
reading
False accusation can be deadly.
It wastes the life of an innocent person.
Like Jeremiah, we who are working hard for
God, can be falsely accused, if people do not
like us.
Suffering unjustly is part of our prophetic life.
When we are in this situation, may there be
some people who show care for us.

Responsorial Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18
 Responsorial Psalm (14b) Lord, come to my aid!
 2 I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
 3 The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
 4 And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the LORD.
 18 Though I am afflicted and poor,
yet the LORD thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, hold not back!

Responsorial Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18
 Responsorial Psalm (14b) Lord,
come to my aid!
 2 I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
 3 The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of
destruction,
out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
he made firm my steps.
 4 And he put a new song into my
mouth, a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
and trust in the LORD.
 18 Though I am afflicted and poor,
yet the LORD thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, hold not back!
Commentary
 The psalm is classified as individual
lament.
 The psalm expresses well the
feelings of Jeremiah.
 In v.2, the psalmist shares his
experience of praying to God and his
gracious response.
 In v.3, the psalmist repeats God’s
response to him.
 God saved him from destruction.
 God made him firm and strong.
 In v.4, the psalmist says something
unusual:
 God put a new song into my mouth,
wow!
 In v.18, the psalmist states his/her
condition (afflicted and poor), yet
God pays attention to him/her.

Reflections on the Psalm
God is good to those who call on him for help.
God does not fail to respond.
Do you believe this?
When you are in a difficult situation, call on God.

2nd
reading: Hebrews 12,1-4
1 Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud
of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden
and sin that clings to us and persevere in
running the race that lies before us 2 while
keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and
perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay
before him he endured the cross, despising its
shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the
throne of God. 3 Consider how he endured such
opposition from sinners, in order that you may
not grow weary and lose heart. 4 In your
struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to
the point of shedding blood.
The focus is on getting rid of sin.

Textual Context of Hebrews 12,1-4
I. 1:5--2:18 The name superior to the angels (Eschatology)
II. 3: 1--5:10 Jesus faithful and compassionate (Ecclesiology)
III. 5: 11--10:39 The central exposition (Sacrifice)
IV. 11:1--12:13 Faith and endurance (Ecclesiological paraenesis)
V. 12:14--13:19 The peaceful fruit of justice (Eschatology).

2nd
reading: Hebrews 12,1-4
 1 Since we are
surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us
rid ourselves of every
burden and sin that clings
to us and persevere in
running the race that lies
before us 2 while
keeping our eyes fixed on
Jesus, the leader and
perfecter of faith. For the
sake of the joy that lay
before him he endured
the cross, despising its
shame, and has taken
his seat at the right of the
throne of God. 3
Consider how he
endured such opposition
from sinners, in order
that you may not grow
weary and lose heart. 4
In your struggle against
sin you have not yet
resisted to the point of
shedding blood.
Commentary
 v.1Cloud of witnesses, what is this?
 Those who testify to Christ, the multitude that
respond to the call of God to be holy, to be
blameless, to imitate Jesus.
 It is the reason for getting rid of sin.
 It is the reason for persevering in running the
race.
 V.2 “keeping our eyes fixed” on Jesus = not
losing track of him.
 Jesus is recognized as leader and perfecter of
faith.
 As a leader, he has a vision (the joy that lay
before him, v.2).
 This vision emboldens him to endure the
crucifixion.
 For this, he is now in heaven (seats at the right of
the throne of God).
 As a leader, Jesus also endures opposition from
sinners, to strengthen us. (v.3)
 Struggle against sin has not gone yet to the
point of dying (v.4) for the present Christians.

Reflections on the 2nd
reading
The challenge of the author for Christians is to
avoid sin.
Jesus has provided a good role model in
avoiding sin.
He has a vision of the joy to come.
Thus, he endures the sufferings, shame and cross as
well as opposition from sinners.
His stance should encourage us to do the same.
We can do more to conquer sin and reach
heaven by shedding our blood too.

Gospel reading: Luke 12,49-53
49 Jesus said to his disciples, "I have come to
set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were
already blazing! 50 There is a baptism with
which I must be baptized, and how great is my
anguish until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think
that I have come to establish peace on the
earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three; 53 a
father will be divided against his son and a son
against his father, a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-
law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-
in-law against her mother-in-law."
The focus is on division.

The fiery mission of Christ
49 Jesus said to his disciples, "I have come to set the
earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! 50
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and
how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
The question of Christ and the answer
51 Do you think that I have come to establish peace on
the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
The result: conflict
52 From now on a household of five will be divided, three
against two and two against three; 53 a father will be
divided against his son and a son against his father, a
mother against her daughter and a daughter against her
mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
A simple outline!

Textual Context of Luke 12,49-53
Luke 12,1-3 Warning Against Hypocrisy
Luke 12,4-12 Exhortation to Fearless Confession
Luke 12,13-21 The Parable of the Rich Fool
Luke 12,22-34 Do Not Worry
Luke 12, 35-40 Watchful Slave
Luke 12,41-48 The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave
Luke 12,49-53 Jesus the Cause of Division
Luke 12,54-56 Interpreting the Time
Luke 12,57 Settling with your Opponent
Luke 13,1 Repent or Perish
Luke 13,6 Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
Luke 13,10 Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman
Luke 13,20 Parable of the Yeast
Luke 13,22 The Narrow Door
Luke 13,31-35 Lament Over Jerusalem
Luke 14,1 Jesus Heals the Man with Dropsy
Luke 14,7 Humility and Hospitality
Luke 14,15 Parable of the Great Dinner
Luke 14,25 Cost of Discipleship

 49 Jesus said to his disciples, "I
have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already
blazing! 50 There is a baptism with
which I must be baptized, and how
great is my anguish until it is
accomplished!
The question of Christ and the
answer
 51 Do you think that I have come to
establish peace on the earth? No, I
tell you, but rather division.
 52 From now on a household of five
will be divided, three against two
and two against three; 53 a father
will be divided against his son and a
son against his father, a mother
against her daughter and a
daughter against her mother, a
mother-in-law against her daughter-
in-law and a daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law."
Commentary
 The reading is one of the
problematic texts in the Bible.
 The sensitive layman or
laywoman may be scandalized by
the statements of Jesus.
 We think all the while that Jesus
is here to bring peace and
harmony, but alas, division and
conflict.
 Here, we need to interpret
properly. Our starting point is
where Jesus is coming from.
 Jesus is a zealous missionary.
Jesus wants to “set the earth on
fire” now (to transform it
according to the plan of God).
(v.49)
 Fire is an agent of purification. It
destroys everything to make
appear what is essential to God.

accomplished!
answer
her mother-in-law."
Commentary
 The baptism here in v.50 is not
the same as his baptism with
John the Baptist. Baptism here is
immersion in his own blood,
suffering, which would bring to
completion his mission. It is his
own martyrdom.
 Jesus is anguished waiting for
his time to shed blood, which will
complete his mission.
 Baptism recalls of water (=blood)
in contrast to fire.
 Both water (blood) and fire
purify.
 V.51 spells out the real mission
of Christ.
 Not peace, but division.
 Again. we need a little
explanation to understand this.

accomplished!
answer
her mother-in-law."
 We imagine the early stages of
Christianity.
 In a Jewish or a Gentile home, there
is no peace when one member
becomes a Christian.
 When you become a Christian
before, you stop from going to the
synagogue or to participate in the
rituals of the old religion.
 Christianity is not accepted as a
religion yet at that time.
 It is regarded as superstitious, anti-
social, cannibalistic, esoteric, weird,
a heresy of the mainstream religion.
 No wonder it pits one against
another.
 The division is the result of following
Christ.
 The author is speaking from the
early Christians’ experience.
 The division which is caused by sin
(or unprocessed personal differences,
political stance) is something else.

Reflections on the gospel reading
When we follow Jesus closely, we are not spared of
conflicts and division.
This division comes as a result of choosing Jesus Christ
as a source of salvation, not the old one.
No person can have both Christianity and Judaism or
paganism.
One must choose one or the other. (God, not mammon)
The person is making a strong message to his loved
ones when he makes a choice for Jesus.
Following Jesus is a total conversion from age old
religious beliefs, traditions and culture (which gives
comfort) to a new way of life (which gives more challenges
and widens horizons).
It is a radical change of outlook and mentality. It hurts
one’s heart and loved ones. It is unsettling and fraught
with danger. But it is unavoidable.
It is saying good bye to the old, but an experience of
liberation to express total trust and confidence in Christ.

Tying the 3 readings and the Psalm
The first reading talks about the sin committed against
Jeremiah.
The psalm is about praying to God for help (for
forgiveness of sins).
The second reading challenges Christians to get rid of
sin.
The gospel reading is an eye opener on the mission of
Jesus: to spread fire on earth.
It is a sin to think of him as goody goody. It is a sin
to have misconception of him.
It is a sin not to choose Jesus.

How to develop your sharing/homily
What is a sin? Do you still have a sense of sin?
If you have lost it, then you have a big problem.
Sin abounds in our relationships, in our families
and society.
In friendship, we feel betrayed by our friends.
We feel they are taking advantage of us. They
are using us.
In our families, parents play favorites. They
refuse to pay attention to some of their children.

In the schools, students cheat. They don’t study
hard, so they cheat during exams. No discipline.
In the society, the rich take advantage of the
poor. They do not give them overtime pay. They
withhold their salaries. They don’t care if the
majority wallow in abject poverty as long as they
enjoy comfort and their properties are intact.
We can mention many more sins – private sins,
public sins and structural sin, etc.

In the first reading, sin is committed by the princes of
Judah. They falsely accuse Jeremiah of demoralizing
the people. They also sin by condemning him to the
cistern.
The second reading exhorts Christians to get rid of sin.
How?
By fixing their eyes on Jesus (prayer, meditation,
listening to his words, eucharist) and by enduring the
cross and the opposition from sinners (those who plot
against his life; those who say they are right, he is wrong;
those who want to preserve their interests; those who use
other people to execute him).

We may trace sin, through the gospel reading, in the
mentality of Jesus’ disciples.
It is a sin to misread / misinterpret the purpose of Jesus.
To think that Jesus’ message is a wishy-washy one is
outrageously wrong.
Jesus comes to bring fire into the world, not peace
(complacency) that has nothing to do with his mission.
Jesus does not come to make life comfortable to the
disciples.
He is here to make them work for the kingdom.
Sin is not choosing Christ.
It is a refusal to commit to Christ.

Sin has devastating effects on others and the
sinner himself / herself.
Chaos / death / woundedness results when
there is disinformation, slander and character
assassination; in Filipino term, tsismis, feasting
on what might be the faults of others. Jeremiah was a
victim of this.
Arrogance and pride displace people from their
rightful place and robs them of their dignity.
You can review your catechism on the 7 capital
sins.

There are many other sins, like environmental
destruction, consumerism, materialism, pornography,
drug pushing, untruthful advertising, selling of
unnecessary products, etc.
To sum up, sin is living without love of God, neighbor
and creation. Sin is a compromise with the devil.
Sin is forgiven through confession, reparation and firm
promise not to do it again.

We are not supposed to receive the sacred host if we
are in grave sin and if we have no intention of changing
our lives.
When we receive the eucharist, we are telling the Lord
that we love him, our neighbors and our world.
We commit another sin (even sacrilege) if we receive the
eucharist and not give up our sins.
In the eucharist, let us ask God to help us change our
sinful ways so that we may be conformed to be more like
him and to be enlisted in the cloud of witnesses.

Our Context of Sin and Grace
No sense of sin
Complacent
False accusation
Demolition job
Injustices
Overcoming sinful
situations
Strong prayer life
Fear of the Lord
Contrite heart
Committed to the
Lord

Suggested Songs
Paano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ICZUOf_jNo
Lord, I Know
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulqjOjYZOns
Set Me Free
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu8qdQZDPB4

Dear sisters and brothers,

If you have no sense of sin, maybe you
have not yet encountered the Lord, the
Holy One. You will never be transformed.

Fr. Cielo

20th Sunday C

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