Homily for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The king’s leading men spoke to the king. ‘Let Jeremiah be put to death...' Ebed-melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king. ‘My lord king,’ he said ‘these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the well, where he will die.’ At this the king gave Ebed-melech the Cushite the following order: ‘Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies.’ (cf. Jer 28).

"As for me, wretched and poor, the Lord thinks of me. You are my rescuer, my help, O God, do not delay." (Ps 40).

"With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us... and keep running steadily in the race we have started... Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners and then you will not give up for want of courage; keep fighting to the point of death." (cf. Heb 12:1-4).

"‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.'" (cf. Lk 12:49-53).

Artwork: Wrisberg epitaph (showing divine graces distribute in the church and through the sacraments), by Johannes Hopffe (1585).