In our first reading, we find the prophet Jeremiah in a life-threatening situation. Why did the princes of Judah want him dead? It wasn’t because he was lying or misleading the people—it was precisely because he was telling them the truth they didn’t want to hear. Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians. Jeremiah had been sent by God to warn the people: surrender to the enemy or face destruction. To the ears of the princes, this sounded like treason. They accused him of “demoralizing the soldiers” and “not seeking the welfare of the people.” In truth, Jeremiah was seeking their welfare, but not in the way they imagined—he was urging them to obey God’s will, even if it meant humiliation and loss in the world’s eyes.
And so, the prophet was lowered into a cistern—a cold, muddy pit—to be left for dead. Only the courage of Ebed-melech, a foreigner in the king’s court, saved him from dying there. Jeremiah’s reward for his faithfulness was rejection, isolation, and the threat of death—often at the hands of his own people.
In the Gospel, Jesus gives us a hard teaching:
"Do you think I have come to establish peace on earth? No, but rather division."
At first, this sounds strange—don’t we call Him the Prince of Peace? Yes, but it’s the peace that comes from reconciliation with God, not the false peace that comes from avoiding truth. When truth confronts sin, it inevitably causes division. Jesus warns us that following Him will sometimes set us at odds with those closest to us—even our own family members—because His call is absolute, and not everyone will respond the same way.
The Prophet Jeremiah was opposed not by foreign enemies, but by his own leaders, his own community. In the same way, Jesus faced opposition from the religious authorities of His time, and many of His disciples faced betrayal by those they loved most. And still today, being faithful to Christ can cost us friendships, jobs, reputations, and, tragically, sometimes even family bonds.
How then should we deal with such situations? Jesus does not call us to repay opposition with bitterness or vengeance. Instead, He calls us to remain faithful and to love even those who oppose us. We must, as Hebrews tells us, “persevere in running the race” with our eyes fixed on Him, remembering that He endured the cross for our salvation.
So when faith causes friction in our families, when standing for truth makes us unpopular, when we feel tempted to water down the Gospel so we won’t offend—remember Jeremiah in the cistern, Christ on the cross, and the “great cloud of witnesses” who endured all things out of love for him, before us. We are not called to be comfortable—we are called to be faithful. And if we remain faithful, the Lord, in His time, will draw us “out of the pit” and set our feet on solid rock.
May we have the courage to speak the truth in love, the patience to endure opposition, and the hope to trust that God will vindicate His faithful servants in the end.
Most Holy Queen of Heaven, Mary our Mother, help us to persevere as you did, in holiness and mercy and pray for us who have recourse to thee.
Amen.
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