All the World Ablaze
Jesus the firestarter
Dear Friends,
This weekend's Gospel passage contains some of Jesus' most inflammatory language. He says:
I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
I don't know if it's because I've been working out recently, but this gets me pumped even before I try to think through what Jesus is talking about. (Inner monologue: Yes! Fire!!)
Let me cut to the chase. The fire Jesus sets is the blaze of Divine Love, unleashed in his Death and Resurrection. The power at work in Jesus' rising from the dead will, as it takes root in human hearts, raise up God's fallen world.
When Jesus predicts this will cause division he quotes from the book of Micah (7:6). Here, facing certain crisis, the prophet exhorts Israel to put no faith in family or friends, but to trust only in the Lord.
That's our task, too. Hope in Jesus. Place your trust in him. Jesus is our only way forward. We'll get to where we need to be by trusting and following him!
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Christ's Peace,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
PS If you don't get what I mean by trusting and following Jesus, then drop me a line. I'm eager to talk it through with you.
Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time