The Division of the World Brought by Christ is for His Eternal Peace: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C

We were reminded that greed, which stems from our narcissistic insecurity due to a lack of faith, resulting in material attachment, is an obstacle to entering the Kingdom of God through the Gospel Reading of the 18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C (Luke 12:13-21).  Then, we were warned not to miss the pop-quiz-like unannounced return of Christ due to a lack of vigilance and preparedness in the Gospel Reading of the 19^th Sunday (Luke 12:32-48).

Entering the Kingdom and return of Christ – these themes from the last two Sundays - orient us to eschaton (the end of time). And this Sunday (19^th Sunday, Cycle C) and next Sunday (20^th Sunday, Cycle C), the Gospel Readings (Luke 12:49-53 and Luke 13:22-30) continue to address more eschatological themes, relating to the Last Judgement, which is also known as the General Judgement upon Christ’s return at the eschaton (CCC* 1038-1041), in contrast to Particular Judgement immediately upon our individual death (CCC 1021-1022).

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church* (CCC), saints are those who are declared as perfectly pure, and therefore, set aside (which “holy” (ἅγιος/hagios) means), corresponding to קֹ֫דֶשׁ /kodesh, which means “sanctified” , and חָסִיד/chasid, which means “godly”) from others to be in fully communion with God in heaven (1023-1029, 2683) upon the Particular Judgement (1021-1022). Those who are not judged by Christ as totally pure are either sent to the Purgatory for further purification (1030-1032) or the Hell for condemnation (1033-1037). Then, when he returns in his glory, as foresighted in his Transfiguration (Daniel 7:9-10,13-14; Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Matthew 17:1-9(A)//Mark 9:2-10(B)//Luke 9:28b-36(C)),  both the holy and the wicked will be raised from the dead and subjected to the Last (General) Judgement (1038-1041) to sort who are for the New Heaven (1042-1050) and who are not. So, it is our hope that all the souls in the Purgatory will be completely pure by that time.

With this teaching of the Last Judgement in mind, we need to explore the Scripture Readings of the 20^th Sunday and the 21^st Sunday.

 In the First Reading (Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10), wicked prince of Judah wanted Jeremiah to be killed for his work to turn Judah back to God was annoying to this prince. After the death of King Josiah, who brought faith back to Judah, this last remaining nation of the Israelites was turning away from God, again. To turn Judah back to Him, God sent Jeremiah as His prophet, as Josiah's son, King Zedekiah was corrupt. So deeply steeped into sins with evil, Judah found God’s voice in Jeremiah rather irksome than humbling to repent and convert. So, the wicked prince of Judah wanted to silence Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was persecuted by the leaders of Judah, including its prince and king. But their evil could not prevail. Though he was not killed, Jeremiah suffered greatly to an extent to be juxtaposed to the passion of Christ toward his death.

Jesus, in the Gospel Reading (Luke 12:49-53), reminds us that all the wicked will be condemned completely when he returns to the earth as the judging King. So, Jesus said:

I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! (Luke 12:49).

Though Christ first came to us on earth as the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6; cf. Luke 1:79; cf. 2:14; 19:38), the Father sent him to prepare us not only for heaven as saints but eventually for the New Heaven and Earth upon his second coming.  As the prince of peace, Jesus gave us the peace that only he can give (John 14:27; 16:33), and for this peace, he suffered, died, and rose from the dead (i.e. John 20:19, 21).

The blazing fire, which Jesus wished to have been set much earlier than his return (Luke 12:49), is the fire of the judgement, which John the Baptist had foretold (Matthew 3:11-12), before Jesus’ Baptism, and it is also the fire that Jesus himself put himself through for us as he went through his passion and death (Luke 12:50; cf. Mark 10:38).  Yes, when he came as the prince of peace, Jesus took the baptism of the judgement fire to himself in place of us. But now Jesus tells us that he has come not only as the prince of peace but also as the judging King to set us to go through the fire of the judgement for his second coming.  As this fire of the judgement is the fire of the Last Judgement to separate those who are pure (Revelation 20:11-15) to bring into the New Heaven and Earth (Revelation 21:1-22:5).

Satan may bring “false peace” with cunningly deceptive concept of “unity through tolerance”.  For this kind of “false peace”, we may find no tension, no conflict, no division. So it can be so convincing to our mind. But, Pope Francis, in his address to the Eucharistic Youth Movement on August 7, 2015, said in terms of a division between “false peace” from Satan and the true peace only from Jesus:

Always seeking peace in the Lord, that peace which Jesus alone can give you. At work, in tasks, the challenge is to find that peace which means that the Lord accompanies you, that the Lord is close. And there is also another challenge: to know how to distinguish the peace of Jesus from another kind of peace which is not of Jesus. Do you understand? This is something that you must learn well, and ask the Lord for the grace to know how to discern true peace from false peace. To discern. This is a challenge. And true peace always comes from Jesus. Sometimes it comes “wrapped” in a cross. But it is Jesus who gives you peace in that trial. It does not always come as a cross, but true peace always comes from Jesus. Instead, the other kind of peace, the superficial kind, that peace which makes you happy, it contents you a little but it is superficial, it comes from the enemy, from the devil, and it makes you happy: “I’m content, I’m not worried about this, I’m at peace...”. But inside, it contains deceit! Here it is necessary to ask for this grace, to know how to distinguish, to know how to recognize which is the peace of Jesus and which is the peace that comes from the enemy, which destroys you. The enemy always destroys: he makes you believe that this is the way and then, in the end, he leaves you on your own. Because remember this: the devil is a poor payer, he never pays well! He always cheats, he’s a swindler! He shows you things dressed up, and you believe that thing is good, that it will give you peace; you go there and in the end you don’t find happiness. To always seek the peace of Jesus: this is a challenge, a challenge which I have had, which I have and which all of you have.

“False peace” may sound soothing.  But it may lead us to destruction and separation from Christ. As reflected in the First Reading (Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10), Jeremiah was persecuted by the wicked leaders of Judah for disturbing “peace”, which was “false peace”(v.4-6). And this “false peace” of Judah, brought by the wicked leaders, eventually let Judah lose Jerusalem and its Temple to the wicked hands of Babylonia.

Paul clearly warns us not to be fooled by “false peace”( 1 Thessalonians 5:3). So, Jesus comes to set his true peace aside from “false peace with a sword of justice (Mark 10:34) to cut and divide good and evil, even into our earthly families (Luke 12:51-53). Given the tone of his warning for what is to come upon his return, Jesus is not tolerant to allow anything impure to the assembly at his heavenly throne in the Kingdom, which is the New Heaven and Earth (Revelation 7:11-17; 21:1-22:5).

Though Christ may return at any time, unannounced, like a pop-quiz, as reflected in the Gospel Reading of the 19^th Sunday (Luke 12:32-48) and also in the 21^st Sunday (Luke 13:22-30), it does not seem to happen now. It means that we have some time to purify before his return or before our death, if his return is to be after that. So, the Second Reading (Hebrews 12:1-4), calls us to strive for our purity now with perseverance like that of a long-distance race runner, with our eyes firmly fixed on Christ. This work on purity is also our way to perfect faith, overcoming our struggles with sin for the sake of Christ’s joy to be shared at his throne.

Through the Second Reading (Hebrews 12:1-4), we see ourselves set aside from the world (i.e. Romans 12:2) and moving toward our true home land of eternity (i.e. Hebrews 10:34) – the New Heaven and Earth beyond the purgatory and heaven.  After all, the division (διαμερισμόν/diamerismon, Luke 12:51) that Jesus has promised to bring to us for the Last (General) Judgement at the eschaton is to set aside only the pure, the saints, to enter the Kingdom, the New Heaven and Earth, our eternal home land to inherit.  The Greek word for “to judge”, κρίνω/krino, literally means to “separate” or “set aside”. And the saints, who are pure to live in full communion with God in the Kingdom (CCC 1023-1029, 2683), are holy (ἅγιος/hagios, which means to “be set aside” to be קֹ֫דֶשׁ /kodesh, “sanctified”, for being חָסִיד/chasid, “godly”).

The division that Jesus is bringing for the Last Judgement is not a thing to be afraid of, if you are bound to be a saint to be ushered in heaven, into the New Heaven and Earth. So Paul has said:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:6-9).

May peace of Christ be with you always, especially as the division for the Last Judgement to set aside the holy and pure for the Kingdom is brought in.