The
Fire of Love and Truth
(on
Lk 12:49-53)
Listen to audio: click here
Fr. Francis Nguyen,
O.P (August 18, 2013)
Dear
Sisters and Brothers,
In
this Sunday’s Gospel, Our Lord Jesus Christ tells his listeners: “I have come
to bring fire on earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”
What
do the words of Christ imply by referring to “fire”?
The
following part of the Gospel provides the right answer.
First,
He speaks of the baptism which He is so eager to undergo. This is obviously not a sacramental rite
meant for the washing of sin because Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the
world, has no sin at all. Baptism rather
signifies the burden of the cross on which He will offer the sacrifice of His
own life to God the Father so as to obtain for us sinners Divine Mercy and
Forgiveness.
Yes,
the reason why Christ has to die is doubtless that He so loves us. He already said, “No one has greater love
than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”
So,
the fire which Christ mentions here is the fire of His love for you and for me. When you love someone so much, you feel as if
there were fire blazing in your heart.
This feeling becomes much stronger when you are separated far away from
your loved ones.
Secondly,
Christ tells people this shocking truth: because of Him divisions turn too deep
and wide that even members of a family suffer greatly. How can this happen, considering Christ was
sent by God, the Source of love and peace?
Did
Christ not claim Himself to be the Light of the world, and the Truth that will
set you free? Yes, He did. The fire of His Word, the fire of truth,
helps people in many respects.
The
fire of truth sheds light on those blinded by sinful desire for money, power,
and pleasure, so that they can see the beauty of nature, of goodwill, of God’s
loving and caring presence in this life, even in the dark night of suffering,
of trials.
The
fire of truth restores the hearing of those who have become deaf because of
shouts of anger, of hatred, of violence, of lies, so that they can hear stories
of goodness, of hope, of love, of compassion, of forgiveness which they have
never heard before.
The
fire of truth clears, purifies, and opens the mouth of those who, because of
fear, have remained silent when facing wrongdoings, injustices, deceits, so
that they can tell all that they think is true, good, and beautiful, despite
threats, pressures, and even death.
However,
not everyone would welcome Christ as the blazing fire of love and truth because
they have allowed forces of evil to overcome their conscience, to subdue their
hearts, to turn them into instruments that spread pains, sorrows, and
sufferings throughout history of humanity.
Those people will do everything that they can just to oppose the truth,
to hide the truth, to get rid of the truth.
Sometimes those who hate the truth punish the person who tells the
truth.
These
are the causes and reasons of divisions which occur even in families, among
parents and children, husband and wife, sisters and brothers.
We
pray and we also work hard so that the fire of love and truth of Christ may
reign in every heart, in every family, in every society.
