I have come to bring fire to the earth

A bonfire at the beach

My sharing is a day earlier than normal because I will be away tomorrow.

There’s something magical about a bonfire

I remember years ago now being with a big crowd of young people at Easter time. In the early morning to begin our Easter Vigil we gathered by a small lake and on the shore a huge bonfire

was lit. From the fire we lit the Paschal Candle and then all our individual candles. The Easter fire from a small barbecue is practical and meaningful for most of our Churches at the Easter Vigil but for me there has been nothing to compare with that experience at the lakeshore.

We hear Jesus say in the Gospel taken from Luke 12: 49-53, ‘I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!’

God as it were is this blazing fire, full of power, energy and life, even dangerous and Jesus came to share that fire with us. People from those early days caught the fire and being inflamed themselves enabled others to catch the fire.

When we see pictures of the Sacred Heart, we often see the heart of Jesus surrounded by flames, a symbol of his heart burning in love for us and our world.

The saints of the Church burned with zeal for Christ, and they enabled others to burn with that same zeal. Who of the saints inspire you and capture your imagination? We celebrated the feast of St Maximillian Kolbe during the week and in the final prayer of the Mass we prayed that 'we may be inflamed with the same fire of charity that he received from this holy banquet.'

When we are confirmed in our faith, we follow in that long tradition of receiving the Holy Spirit like tongues of fire on our heads like Mary and the early disciples. The disciples then boldly went out to tell others the Good News they had received.

Their mission was inspiring but also challenging. Things were not perfect. Things went wrong. Some people caught the fire, others weren’t interested. Some people openly rejected what was being offered to them. The followers of Jesus received insults, imprisonment and even death just like Jesus himself.

The reality is that if we follow Jesus, sometimes we will experience rejection and opposition. Some people will think we’re strange, naïve, brain washed, conservative or not conservative enough. It is sad but sometimes what we believe can be a source of division. Jesus understood this.

Some of the first believers in Christ were shocked to find that their lives as Christians still contained many difficulties. They were added too when non- Christian family members didn’t want to have anything to do with their beliefs.

Lord Jesus, give us the courage to face the opposition we receive. Although we can experience the pain of division, help us to continue to love, forgive and work towards common ground.

You may like to listen to 'Human' from the album 'Serenity' which captures something of this Sunday's Gospel.

Human

There are people in our world

Like torches in the night

They light a path of hope

And stand for what is right

They face adversity while others would despair

They challenge us to be what others never dare

They are movers, believers, healers

They are lovers, they’re fighters, dreamers

And they are human, so very human

And its human we’re meant to be

There are people in our world

With passion in their eyes

And wisdom on their lips

And power in their lives

They walk the journey too

The torrents have been crossed

With mountains still to climb

Their dream is never lost.

They are movers……….

It’s not for glory, for power, or gain

It’s not their ego

The money or fame

It’s for the present

It’s for the future

And for us to fan the flame 

Blessings on your week.