From the Word of the Day
I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! (Luke 12: 49)
The fire Jesus came to bring on the earth is not that of war and violence, but reveals the power of choosing, of not giving in to compromises. In a decisive way, He describes the will to light this spiritual fire; to not give in to laziness and superficiality. It regards respecting to the full the image of God that is present in every human being, without fear and weak accommodations.
Jesus exhorts us to have no fear of presenting Christian ideas, facing even derision and attacks on the part of those who are against the Gospel and do not respect human dignity. Christian life does not consist in quietly sitting in the shade of our strength and of our human certainties, but often requires a choice that goes against the current, opposing laxity.
The fire that Jesus brings is a fire that warms and illumines, but at the same time, it is a fire that burns the debris of our egoism and sin.
O Lord, invade me with the fire of Your Spirit who dwells in me so that I may find strength and light to work in the world with the courage of faith and of charity.
The voice of Pope Francis
It would do us well if today we would take five minutes to ask ourselves: “How is my heart doing? Is it cold? Is it tepid? Is it able to receive this fire? Let us take five minutes for this. It will do us all well. (Angelus of august 14, 2016).
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