Twentieth Sunday of the year August 14, 2022
Jer. 38:1-2, 4-6, 8-10; Heb. 12:1-4; Luke. 12:49-53
There is an interesting incident narrated about a couple of
tourists who visited the Jesuit headquarters in Rome. There is a large statue
of the St Ignatius majestically displayed in this house. Underneath are also
inscribed the words of the Saint to his friend St. Francis Xavier, when the
latter was commissioned to spread the Gospel across the globe: “Ite, Inflammate
Omnia!” When translated, the motto reads: “Go and set the world on fire!”
As, the two tourist friends admired at the words of the
wonderful saint and were speaking about the greatness of the saint, One of them
noticed a fire-extinguisher that was placed on the adjacent wall (The
red-coloured fire-extinguisher was of course, placed, in case of any emergency)
But seeing the motto of the Saint and this fire-extinguisher from the same
view, the tourist made an interesting comment: “Well! The Saint asked us to go
and set the world on fire, but we Christians, probably seem more to be going
around with a fire-extinguisher and putting it off!”
Fire was meant to destroy the reigning religion and
religiosity that people used was a way of “guaranteeing” their salvation, yet,
which ironically actually distanced people from God. Could the same be said for
our own religion today? For Jesus, fire will burn down our human need for
security and by extension those institutions that provide human security instead
of security in God. The fire is followed by the talk of baptism, which has
promise inherent within it.
The saying that Jesus has come to set the earth on fire, and
bring division instead of peace, has been understood in several ways by
Christians and non-Christians. Fire is the sign of purification. John had
promised that Jesus would baptize with Holy Spirit and fire. Fire is symbolic of the Holy Spirit and His
actions of being a consuming fire as God. The ministry of Jesus on earth
included preparing the way for the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier.
The Spirit of Jesus is given to all freely who choose to
follow him through baptism. This is a fire planted within us to guide us, to
direct us, and to admonish us when we deviate from the path; a living flame
which, throughout our lives, purges us of that which may hold us back from
unity with God. In this sense, the fire of Jesus that lives in each of us helps
to mould us and shape us into what we are meant to become, a heat that warms
our hearts encouraging us to continue the work of Jesus today. Through Jesus,
this fire is given to us to maintain and is thus no longer the sole possession
of the God of the universe, the God of the Old Testament. God lives within the
disciples of Jesus giving us the power to be more than the facility of our
humanity could ever allow us to be without God.
On the other hand, when he said that he had come to bring
division, he was talking about the division that his message would bring
between those who accept it and those who reject it; between the righteous and
unrighteous. As a result of this
division: “Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child,
and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,” By this he
indicates that the message would divide families between those who would accept
the message and those who would reject
it. Rather than advocating violence,
Jesus was warning his disciples that they would encounter violence from those
unwilling to accept the Truth.
We must also remember that love never rests but spreads like
fire that burns everything.
And all of us human beings should tend towards being set
alight by this fire of love and that it may burn all souls that are and will be
in the world. This is the ideal towards which we should tend. We must remember
the words of Jesus: “I have come to set the earth on fire” (Lk 12:49). On our
part we should do all we can to make this fire light up more and more everyday.”
– St Maximilian Kolbe.
Yes, let us, as Christians “set the world on fire!”
Happy Sunday
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