Set the Earth on Fire!

Thursday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel of Luke 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:  "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!  There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!  Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division...."


Today at Daily Mass, I was moved by the words proclaimed in the Gospel's Alleluia:

I consider all things so much rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him.  

Is there "rubbish" in my life I need to get rid of?  Is my heart "on fire" for Our Lord?  Do I realize how important it is to bear the crosses of my life and emulate Jesus?

I confess that I harbor a lot of trashy thoughts: resentment, anger, envy, and discontent.  I'm not always grateful for my blessings.  Sometimes I wish I was more like this person or that person.  I curse Christ for the crosses he presents me.  In the scheme of things, my "crosses" are nothing compared to the agony  Jesus went through at his crucifixion! I should bear my crosses with faith and humility.  I should remember to pray to the Lord to help me be more like Him.

My mom always used to tell me that when the Middle East finds peace then the end of the world arrives.  Jesus will then make his final judgment.  Until then, we all will be "fighting" with one another.  Division against division again division.  I don't know of one family or society that doesn't experience some kind of conflict.  As our world becomes more populated, more secularized, and more anti-religious, divisions become more pronounced.  Add news and social media to the equation and the earth becomes a blazing fire storm!  Peace is something we all wish for.

Is peace achievable or is it just wishful thinking? Just like the "Big Bang" created the world, will the earth burst into eternal flames at the Last Judgment?  

I know I need to work more vigilantly at becoming a better Christian.  I wish for the fire burning inside my heart to radiate so others see Christ through me!  It's so difficult when burdens wear me down.  I thank Jesus each day that he died for my sins.  I thank God for leading me into the caring arms the Catholic Church.  I thank the Holy Spirit for protecting me, guiding me, and giving me the graces to persevere through all of life's obstacles.

We all need "to set the earth on fire" by evangelizing Christ's message of salvation, hope, and love!

-J.