Jeremiah in the Cistern and Jesus’ Call to Endurance: Sunday Homily Reflections
Readings for Mass and Virtual Homily for August 17, 2025, Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time; Living My Best Life Now
Readings for Mass this Sunday:
Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10
Psalm 40:2-4, 18
Hebrews 12:1-4
Luke 12:49-53
Dear Friends and Family,
Understanding that "a committee in Rome" arranged the lectionary, that is the book that contains the readings for Mass not only on Sundays, but every day of the week, and understanding as well the two principles by which the readings have been chosen...I nonetheless have to say that I sometimes just draw a blank on "getting the connection" with regard to a given Sunday's selected readings and that is the case this week. The first reading and the psalm in fact share an obvious theme. We'll look at that. Without too much stretching, the second reading might be related to this theme. As for the Gospel passage, well...we will look at it on its own terms. I see only the most tentative connection to the rest of the readings this week.
The first reading is the famous passage where certain leaders of the Jewish people, angry enemies of Jeremiah, outraged at his predictions that Judah will fall to Babylon despite the presence of allied troops (the Egyptians) in Jerusalem, give the command that the prophet be thrown into a cistern (vs. 6). The cistern is deep and at bottom it is several feet thick of mud, and Jeremiah sinks into the mud. He is rescued when another leader, hearing of what has happened, urges the king to order Jeremiah's release (vss. 7-10).
This is the sort of hardship, insult and indignity, to say nothing of danger, that Jeremiah faced and faced frequently, as a result of his faithful service to the Lord. It is the sort of thing that caused the prophet more than once to tell God that he was done with being a prophet; that he was through with his calling and his vocation (Jeremiah 20:7-9). (Though Jeremiah made such threats, he never actually carried them out.)
Psalm 40 is clearly connected. Good for the committee in Rome. Listen:
"Surely, I wait for the Lord; who bends down to me and hears my cry, draws me up from the pit of destruction, out of the muddy clay, sets my feet upon rock, steadies my steps, and puts a new song in my mouth, a hymn to God" (vss. 2-3).
This theme of serious difficulty and of God's sure rescue is, I think, one to which most of us can relate. There may, in fact, be times when we are truly helpless. The psalmist urges confidence in God's saving power, God's certain love. Jeremiah's example illustrates this dynamic in no uncertain terms. In the mud at the bottom of a deep cistern, he is truly helpless. He could not know that another leader would react quickly and effectively, to bring about his rescue. He had to do what the psalmist urges, and which, perhaps sometimes, is also what we must do, since we can do nothing else. Wait on the Lord in trust.
Easier said than done.
The second reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, is one I might easily have constructed my homily around this week. And although it was not selected to coincide with the first reading, the psalm or the Gospel, this passage from the letter can be said to run a clear parallel with the theme of endurance and trust in times of trial.
The unknown author of Hebrews (as I have often pointed out, the letter is far too eloquent to have been written by Paul) urges perseverance on the part of his discouraged audience. Indeed, perseverance in faith is one the letter's chief themes. The author reminds his audience that Jesus so persevered. "Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners," the author recommends, "in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart" (vs. 3). "For the sake of the joy that lay before him," the author argues, Jesus "endured the cross, despising its shame" (vs. 2).
Easy enough, I think, to draw a parallel here, with the sufferings of Jeremiah, and with Jeremiah's stubborn perseverance, despite his threats to throw this whole prophetic calling thing over and go...open a smoke shop, maybe. (That was a joke...)
Finally, the passage from Luke is where Jesus warns that he has come not to bring peace but division. That is, his message will divide people against each other; there will be those who accept it and try to live it out, and those who reject it. This division will set even family members one against the other.
I know of families where just this division has occurred, though in the vast number of cases, it is simply a matter of accepting or not accepting the Good News and letting each do so according to his/her inclination. It is only rarely, in my long experience working with practicing Catholics who have family members who do not practice or outright do not believe, only rarely, as I say, that I have been told of any animosity over the division. It was different, we have reason to believe, in Jesus' time; in the first centuries of the Church.
That said, I suppose it could be said as well that the Gospel passage might be understood as predicting trials and difficulties for those who do believe and who are worried about their family members who do not. Here, again, and related to the theme of the other readings, certainly it might be said that perseverance, in prayer and by example, is essential. Perseverance and trust -- for, in dealing with non-belief among our family and friends, we are reliant on the grace of God to bring about their awakening, their deeper understanding, their embrace of the message of Jesus. We cannot convert anyone. We can only let the Spirit use us toward that goal, remembering that God wills the salvation of our loved ones even more than we do. Above all we need to keep praying for them.
So we are back to perseverance and trust, and that is as close as I can come, to connecting up all four readings, this Sunday.
So as I have mentioned in the last couple e-mails, I have been the only priest in the parish, since late July, our beloved pastor having taken a well-deserved vacation trip home to Mexico. This reality has had me meeting myself coming and going, the past eighteen or twenty days. I am not about to complain. Just the opposite, I am inclined, in these circumstances, to give thanks and praise to God for reminding me of how much I love parish ministry and for giving me such a stark opportunity to practice it -- never mind that I am on sabbatical.
In fact the last two or three weeks have underscored for me just how much I do love parish ministry, how happy I would be to return to it full-time, if and when that time presents itself. I have zero plans to leave the high school before the end of the decade, though, so any speculation about an eventual return to fulltime parish work is premature.
But it has occurred to me, this summer, how deeply I love my current circumstances, and I do not mean just because it is summer and I am on sabbatical. I was at the high school Thursday afternoon -- classes started this week -- and the ninety minutes or so that I spent with my colleagues were bright and joyful. I revere my colleagues at O'Dowd; feel blessed and almost privileged to call them my peers. At the same time, as I say above, I am as in love with parish ministry here in Hayward nineteen years after my ordination as I was my first summer as a priest in Pleasanton. Throw in the hugely creative work of San Gabriel Media, and our remarkable growth this summer (we passed a quarter of a million subscribers Tuesday) and it adds up to my best life ever -- and I have had, all my life, a pretty good life. Just important, sometimes, to acknowledge our blessings and give the Lord thanks and praise for them.
On that bright note, I think I will sign off. This one's long enough!
Take good care and God bless.
El Padre