Jesus said to his disciples:
Luke 12:49-53
“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!”
Most of us are afraid of fire. Of course, there is fear of the fire that destructively burns on this earth, and there is certainly the fire that burns eternally. In this passage, however, Jesus was not speaking of fire in this way.
Jesus was speaking of the fire that would require us to lose our very lives to save our soul. It is a living fire that leaps up to the glory of God, a consuming fire that melts all that resists his loving embrace. Christian life can often be reduced to good feelings, successful community gatherings, projects and programs. Getting along. Doing a kind deed. Contributing time, treasure, and talent.
Jesus himself defines Christian life in another way:
“I am fire! I wish to blaze across the earth, setting the whole world on fire with this love that burns in my most sacred Heart! I don’t want anything or anyone to be lost! I will hand myself over to cross and death, bitter humiliation, loneliness and loss if only this fire will push men and women beyond the limits they have set for themselves, the boundaries by which they protect their own interest. How I desire that they break out of the personal worlds of their own making, and step into the Kingdom revealed by my Father.”
We encounter this raging fire through those sudden insights, shifts to conversion, and overwhelming moments of wonder that surprise us. We know they are not our own. Something is happening to us. Someone is pouring fire into us. Augustine, in his famous words written in the Confessions, talks about one of these moments of his own: “You called, shouted, broke through my deafness; You flared, blazed, banished my blindness; You lavished Your fragrance, I gasped, and now I pant for You; I tasted You, and I hunger and thirst; You touched me, and I burned for Your peace.”
Each of us, in our own way, have had at least one of these experiences with divine Mystery that have ignited a fire within us. A powerful way to begin prayer is to return to these moments. To relive them. To reread them if we have journalled about the experience. To share with God what we appreciate about them. It is in this way that Jesus continues to cast fire on the earth through our life and to call us out into the uncharted adventure of his blazing love.
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire” (St. Catherine of Siena).
Image: Arina Krasnikova, via Pexels
Praying with this Passage of Scripture
Lectio Divina is a way of listening to God as he speaks in his Word. It is a practice of communicating with God through Scripture and attending to God’s presence and what he wishes to tell us. In this slow and prayerful reading of the Word of God, we allow ourselves to be transformed by the Spirit who forms us into the image of Christ. There are four movements in Lectio Divina: Read (lectio), Meditate (meditation), Pray (oratio), Contemplate (contemplation).
Begin by finding a still space to pray. Breathe deeply and become quieter within. Abandon any agenda, worries or thoughts you bring to this prayer and entrust these things to the merciful care of God. Ask for the grace to be receptive to what God will speak to you through this Scripture reading. Grant me, Jesus Divine Master, to be able to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God and your unfathomable riches. Grant that your word penetrate my soul; guide my steps, and brighten my way till the day dawns and darkness dissipates, you who live and reign forever and ever Amen.
Read (lectio)
Begin by slowly and meditatively reading your Scripture passage out loud. Listen for a particular word or phrase that speaks to you at this moment and sit with it for a time.
Pray (oratio)
Read the text a third time. Listen for what God is saying to you. Speak heart to heart with God. Notice the feelings that this conversation with God raises up within you. Share with God what you notice about your response to this conversation. You may wish to return to repeating the phrase quietly and gently, allowing it to permeate you more and more deeply.
Contemplate (contemplatio)
Read the text a final time. Now be still and rest in God’s embrace. Ask God to give you a gift to take with you from this prayer. You might ask God if he is inviting you to do some action, for instance, make some change in your thoughts, attitudes or reactions, in the way you speak or how you treat others. Thank God for this gift and invitation as you conclude your prayer.
Image: Myriams-Fotos; pixabay.com
Touching the Sunrise 
This reflection is speaking of my life now. I long to serve you in all circumstances of my life Lord. Help me to light the fire.
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