20th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C
Prayer
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
Inspire our hearts with Wisdom. Fill our hearts with love. Fashion our hearts for Mercy. Conform our hearts to yours. Amen.
Commentary
1st Reading: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
We continue our six-week retreat on the theme: “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”
Our First Reading is quite dramatic. The ever-obedient prophet Jeremiah is thrown in to the cistern. He has disrupted the way of
life for those around him by speaking the truth. The truth
hurts and – in this case – it hurts Jeremiah.
However, Jeremiah foresees a pain and hurt for the people who refuse to obey the Lord. He would rather endure the cistern, without food and water, than to shrink from his duty to proclaim a truth that could spare the people from a pending doom. Their hurt will be greater than his own if they refuse to trust in the Lord.
Through the intercession of a court official, the king sets Jeremiah free. Jeremiah, in turn, continues his prophetic mission to proclaim the truth, so that his audience would be set free from their foolish ways.
Christians believe that Jesus is the Way, the TRUTH, and the life. We need to let our living TRUTH speak to our hearts.
Question:
How do you intercede for others who have wandered from the Truth?
2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4
Hebrews says, “In your struggle against sin you have not resisted to the point of shedding blood.”
Perhaps it’s time to do a heart check. Can you relate to what Hebrews says? Putting more bluntly, have you ever been thrown into a cistern, fed to the lions, or
nailed to the cross for resisting sin? Has your struggle to abide in the Truth cost you anything of great import?
Where your treasure lies, there too does your heart rest. Do you treasure – really treasure – a relationship with God? Is that relationship worth everything to you?
Hebrews warns us not to “lose heart” and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who treasured us so greatly that he died for us.
Perseverance and “running the race” will only strengthen our heart. Exercising our faith and looking to Jesus at the end of our marathon on earth will reap an eternal reward. Christianity is not for the weak of heart.
Question:
What is your Christian heartrate? Is your heart beating at
the same rate as the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
Gospel: Luke 12:49-53
Have you ever noticed the Sacred Heart of Jesus image with a heart aflame?
A Christian heart, conformed to the Sacred Heart of Jesus must be on fire. The fire, admittedly, may be too much for others to accept. Christians with hearts a flame may be ridiculed for being overly evangelical or spiritual. Jesus warns his followers that this will cause unrest among those who are confronted by Christians on fire for the Lord.
Nevertheless, when we refer to Christ as the light of the world, we remember he said the same thing about us: “You are the light of the world.” When he said this, he wasn’t referring to flashlights. He was referring to burning candles or torches. Flashlights are harmless. Candles and torches can burn.
Christians should be excited to wake up each day and participate in the Lord’s mission to set the earth on fire. What an opportunity for all who conform their hearts to the Heart of Christ to blaze a trail for others to follow!
Question:
Is your heart a flashlight or a burning torch?
This Week’s Task
Take time to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 8: The 8th Commandment.
Ponder the various articles related to Living in the Truth. Bring them to prayer and ask yourself the following questions:
1) How have I accepted Jesus as the TRUTH in my life?
2) How am I going to proclaim the living TRUTH in a
unique and vibrant way from here on out?
Group Prayer
The group offers the following prayer by St. Margaret Mary
Alacoque:
O my Jesus, you have said: “Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.” Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of…..(here name your request)
Our Father….Hail Mary….Glory Be to the Father…
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
The prayer continues with Psalm 40.
Psalm
Response: Lord, come to my aid!
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
R: Lord, come to my aid!
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.
R: Lord, come to my aid!
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.
R: Lord, come to my aid!
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!
R: Lord, come to my aid!
Conclude with an Our Father