THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Thursday of 29^th week in ordinary time, 2021

Rom 6:19-23

Ps 1

Luke 12:49-53

Fire upon the earth

Dear friends in Christ, love truly conquers all. Wherever there is love, it is not difficult to see joy and happiness, cooperation and development. Love makes difficult tasks pleasurable. It drives out greed and plants in its place the spirit of giving—real generosity. Love, joy and power comes through the Spirit of God which comes to us in the form of that fire which the Lord casts upon earth.

In our first reading of today (Romans 6:19-23) Paul using the language of slavery reveals what is expected of those set free in Jesus. By natural inclination, they have been slaves of sin and now after they have been set free from what they are now ashamed of, they have become ‘slaves of God.’ Sin is such a powerful weight on the soul that it is capable of enslaving its subjects for as long as possible. Jesus however sets us free from the grip of sin. Surrender yourself to him and he will break the chains of sin in your life. Sin has its wages according to Paul—“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In the sacrament of baptism, you are set free from the sin of Adam and all previous sins, the sacrament of reconciliation however is a great help on the journey in case you have fallen again into sin. Come to Jesus now as he waits for you. He wants to set you free from sin and its bondage.

In the gospel (Luke 12:49-53) Jesus says, “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!” Fire often stands for judgment in apocalyptic literature. It is believed that fire will destroy that which is evil and valueless—Fire purifies and cleans, it fashions something new from the old. The fire Jesus refers to, is that of the Spirit, the fire of love, the fire that purifies and renews. Not a fire of destruction as many will like it to be, when they pray sometimes calling the “Holy Ghost Fire to destroy their perceived enemies.” This is however the fire of judgement on those who refuse to change from their evil ways. This judgement comes down even to homes and families. That’s why he says he has come to bring division. A division arising from the way people accept or reject his message. “In one house, there will be five divided, three against two and two against three…” the freedom of choice in each person remains. No one will be forced to accept Christianity, but for those who accept him, St John says, “He makes into children of God.” The answer is to come from each one, it is a personal decision to belong to Christ and share the joy of the power of his resurrection.  Will you decide for him or not? The cross is a gift of God that is free to be accepted or rejected by humanity even though it is the instrument of salvation. Where do you stand with Christ?

Let us pray: God our eternal Father, your love for us is so great, do not discard the work of your hands. Amen. 

+Remain blessed