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Jesus said to his disciples, "I have a fire to cast over the earth, and how I wish it were already blazing!" What did Jesus mean? The most common interpretation for fire in the scriptures is either used as symbol for final judgment and wrath or for the renewal of the Holy Spirit. The context tells us this is leading to Jesus’ baptism of passion, death, and resurrection. Therefore, this kind of fire He will bring upon the earth will renew. This will be transforming power of the spirit, forming us into His sons and daughters with lives and deeds to match. Both these fires of Christ are essential to our spiritual pilgrimage. For your prayer time, use this analogy of fire that renews.
Our western United States can sometimes be infamous for its forest fires. In the past, the National Forests would fight forest fires. But now we know different. It is not uncommon in our National Parks to see two huge forests. Imagine one to our right that is thick, lush, and green. It seems to stretch everywhere. Then a Forest Ranger points to one on the left. It is obvious the trees have all been destroyed by a raging forest fire because there are only bare tree trunks still standing. But the ground is covered with fireweed and various other wild flowers and plants. The ranger asks us which forest is the healthy one? Everyone responds, “Well of course the one on the right that is lush and green.” Then he explains that we are wrong! The green forest has no life on the bottom. They grow tall to capture the summer light but they totally block the sun from any vegetation on the forest floor. It is actually dying. The fire that occurred to the forest on the left actually caused the trees to release their seeds. Now sunlight can reach the forest floor and all kinds of new life is growing there.
Jesus’ fire is like that. Whoever comes close to Jesus must be prepared to be burned. The Christian is called to trust oneself to this burning fire. The fire is set ablaze when we speak the truth like the prophet Jeremiah who is punished for it. The message of the Church is there precisely to conflict with our behavior, to tear us out of our comfortable habits or lies and to bring clarity and truth. Truth makes demands and it also burns.
A Baptist pastor just out of seminary was assigned to a small church in the hills of Tennessee. His first sermon condemned gambling, especially betting on horses. The sermon was not well received. A parishioner explained, "You see, Rev, this whole area is known for its fine horses. Lots of our members make their living breeding race horses."
The next Sunday he spoke on the evils of smoking. It was not well received. Many of his members grew tobacco. The third week the pastor preached on the evils of drinking, only to discover the following week that a Jack Daniels distillery was one of the town's largest employers.
Frustrated, the pastor exclaimed, "Well, then, what can I preach about?" A kindly, older woman spoke up and said, "Pastor, preach against those godless Chinese communists. Why, there isn't a Chinese communist within 4,000 miles of here!"
There are some sermons people do not want to hear because they contradict their dearly held values or their comfortable life styles. Jesus earned a reputation for preaching these kinds of sermons - sermons that were challenging and demanding, radical and divisive.
C. S. Lewis once said that the gospel was concerned to create "new people" not just "nice people." The human need is an inner transformation that makes us into new creatures.
Christ comes to divide us from whatever divides us from Him. Parents, it is sometimes a struggle to get your children to go to Mass. It may be a struggle to get them to go to Religious Education classes. If you lost your son or daughter next week, which would you regret: that you did not get your child to CCD and to communion, or, that you did not get them to their ball game? Where are your priorities?
The gospel speaks of the division in relationships Christ will bring. For your prayer time this week use this reflection. What kind of relationship do I have with God? Is it like “Professional Day” where I get my secretary and receptionist a card, and maybe a flower, but the whole rest of the year I give them no recognition, nor appreciation? Perhaps it is a “Mothers’ Day” or “Fathers’ Day” mentality: “one day a year” I express my appreciation and gratitude.
For my kids, you have a great challenge to live your Catholic faith: going to Mass, receiving communion, praying the rosary, daily prayer, using the sacrament of confession “to keep me on the right path” and to truly examine my conscious.
We live in a culture of “Affluenza.” It is what authors John DeGraaf, David Win, and Thomas Baylor call “shopping therapy” in their book of the same title. They call it “an epidemic of stress, overwork, waste, and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of more. They say that
• In 1986 the United States had more high schools than shopping centers. Now we have more than twice as many shopping centers as high schools.
• Seventy percent of Americans visit malls each week, more than attend church or synagogues.
• On average Americans shop six hours a week and spend only forty minutes a week playing with their children.
• By age twenty the average American has seen over one million commercial messages.
• More Americans declared bankruptcy in 1996 than graduated from college.
We need Jesus’ second fire before we face the fire of judgment. This fire will help us desire to please God more than pursuing our desires. It will help us to hunger for the Bread of Life rather than being hungry to buy things that do not bring lasting happiness or peace. It helps us to profess that we really do trust in God rather than in our bank account. It will help us to be more forgiving rather than resentful or vengeful.