With Opened Bible
Martyrs of Truth, Love, and Hope
“There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!”
On this 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Gospel agrees with the first reading in inviting us to be ready to suffer so that the fire of the Gospel can set the world ablaze.
In the first reading, from the book of Jeremiah, we see the consequences of what the truth can inflict on faithful witnesses. Jeremiah was unjustly accused of stirring up people against the authority of the king and his nobles. This accusation was false, yet all accepted it. The prophet would also be thrown into a well for daring to proclaim the truth. His suffering, like his ministry, would be like a fire setting Jerusalem ablaze and subsequently bringing the truth to light.
Jeremiah, in many ways, reflected Christ, who would be rejected by the holy city of Jerusalem and thrown into the tomb to silence the truth. Despite the overwhelming forces that had gathered against him, the fire of his Word continues to set the world ablaze. Their courage in the face of adversity should inspire us all to stand firm in our faith.
Besides this similarity between the ministry of Jeremiah and that of Jesus, we must seek to understand the true meaning of these words coming from the mouth of Jesus: "There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!" (Luke 12:50).
What did Jesus mean? Jesus received baptism from John in the Jordan (even though he was without sin) (2 Corinthians 5:21). But in this Sunday's Gospel, it is not a question of water baptism but of martyrdom. Since the beginning of the Church, martyrdom, or shedding one's blood for the cause of the Gospel and Christ, was seen as a form of baptism. Like Jeremiah, Jesus referred to his martyrdom, his passion, his death, and his resurrection. This baptism is the one that all the apostles (except John the Evangelist) received so that the truth of Christ could triumph over lies. This baptism is often associated with the cup (a symbol of suffering and persecution) (Mathew 20:22). Because of this baptism, Jesus becomes a source of division. Those who welcome him in faith become prey to those who reject the truth and the light. (Mother against daughter and son against father)
With Jeremiah, Jesus, and all witnesses to the truth, let us, in turn, be martyrs of truth, love, and hope today. In our shared sufering for the truth, we are united as a community of faith, bound together by our commitment to the Gospel.
