JESUS BRINGS THE FIRE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

XX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:49-53

Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s gospel sound a bit cryptic and we may ask ourselves what Jesus wanted to say. “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!” These words may give us the idea that Jesus was an arsonist and that he was intent on committing a crime; but how could he set fire to the whole world? To guess the possible meaning of Jesus’ words, we must go through the Scriptures and find out what fire stands for.

Fire can be a reference to a manifestation of God’s presence, glory and holiness, like the “flame of fire” (Ex 3:2), the “pillar of fire” (Ex 13:22) and on Mount Sinai, where “the Lord had descended on it in fire” (Ex 19:18). The book of Deuteronomy speaks of God as a “consuming fire”, referring to his jealousy (Dt 4:24) or referring to God as a “consuming fire” that destroys the enemies and protects the people of Israel (Dt 9:3). The fire may also refer to God’s anger that will bring punishment on those who oppose him: 

“For a fire is kindled by my anger,

and it burns to the depths of Sheol,

devours the earth and its increase,

and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

“‘And I will heap disasters upon them;

I will spend my arrows on them” (Dt 32:22-23).

“I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.” (Jr 15:14).

The fire refers also to a purifying fire that burns down selfishness, pride, hatred, injustice, exploitation and oppression, that is the slavery of sin so that a new world may come about and a new order may be established and the Kingdom of God may set in.

Fire is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who is the spirit of love and the spark of wisdom. The Apostles experienced the coming of the Holy Spirit as “tongues of fire”, which “appeared to them and rested on each one of them” (Act 2:3). And that was the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise that would receive the power of the Holy Spirit so that they would the courage to preach the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. So the words of Jesus about the fire that he brings refers mainly to the coming of the Kingdom of God and the coming of the Holy Spirit, which will enable his disciples to become the yeast that will transform the world from within.

The baptism that Jesus must receive is his passion and his death on the cross and through that baptism, he will purify the world and recreate it anew.

Then, Jesus speaks about peace and division, clearly stating that he does not bring peace but division. Nowadays, some people do violence to others in the name of God. And this leads others to blame all religions, accusing them of being the ideological foundation for violence. And they dare to accuse Jesus of being a promoter of violence since he said that he did not bring peace but division. Such a conclusion shows a big misunderstanding and misinterpretation of Jesus’ words. Jesus is telling us that before Him we must choose: either we accept his way of life or we reject it. And people will be divided between those who accept him and those who reject him. His disciples must prepare themselves to be rejected and to suffer violence because they accepted Christ and chose to live by his words. It may happen that even their relatives will become their enemies. The disciples of Jesus will suffer because of their faith, and in no way are they instructed to inflict suffering on those who reject Jesus Christ. Going through the way of the cross and making the experience of the calvary with Jesus, we will climb to the mountain of God’s glory. Sharing in Jesus’ death, we will share as well in his resurrection.

STAY AWAKE AND STAND READY

XIX SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:32-48

We are becoming a people without memory, who forgot their history, the values which guided them, the leaders that moved them forward and the routes which brought them to the present. It is as if we want to cut all the bridges with the past and become someone who hovers up in the empty sky with dreams of a new world built by sheer imagination - a world without foundation and without pillars to prop it up, floating on emptiness. 

The book of Wisdom in the first reading (Wisdom 18:6-9) and the letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19) in the second reading bring forward the importance of looking back and bringing to memory the great ancestors who stand out as guides and role models. With them we learn how to have a listening heart to God, being open to him and allowing him to touch our lives.

Looking to the great ancestors, we learn to have the right attitude to walk with Christ and to welcome the Kingdom of God. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus presents the attitudes that should mould us, for us to be ready for God’s grace, love and mercy.

1. We should be filled with trust and confidence in God because the Lord will not abandon us and he will fulfil his promises of redemption.
2. We must be single-minded about the Kingdom of God, looking forward to it and accepting it as the only treasure worthy of everything that I have and that I am.
3. We must be on the alert, with eyes wide open to recognising God’s presence and God’s actions in our midst. 
4. We must be ready, having an attitude of service and commitment, knowing that we were entrusted with God’s work. It is God’s project, not our own project.
5. That’s why we must have an attitude of dutifulness. It is our duty. There is nothing to boast about for doing what we are supposed to do.
6. Jesus warns us about the danger of abusing our position and using God’s work to promote ourselves. When we do that, we start oppressing and exploiting others. And we shall be called to account for our actions.

In a very reassuring way, Jesus tells us that, if we are found faithful, he himself will set the table for us and serve us.

Let us pray with the psalm:

“Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

  The Lord is our help and our shield.

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

  as we place all our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)

BE ON YOUR GUARD AGAINST AVARICE

XVIII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 12:13-21

Although we proclaim Jesus as the one who will come to judge and to separate the righteous from the evil ones, here on earth he refused to judge, mainly when presented with petty issues, even though we consider them very important. Jesus concentrated only on proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that we must repent, convert and welcome God’s kingdom. He was not concerned with wealth, power and glory, considering them false values and an obstacle to the coming of the Kingdom of God and he taught his disciples to stay far away from them. Jesus lives according to the wisdom presented in the book of Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes): to be concerned with riches and what they can obtain is vanity. In the end, they do not satisfy us, do not protect us from suffering and do not bring peace and everlasting joy. For a while, we get puffed up and then we burst and wither away to be forgotten.

Jesus warns us against avarice: “Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.” In spite of this warning, today’s world is dominated by avarice and to the ears of today’s people Jesus’ words sound foolish. Our society is built upon the procuring of profit and everything is measured by it. What is not profitable on itself must, at least, enhance the activities that bring profit; otherwise, they will be discarded. Lured by riches, we transform the others in tools measured by their profitability. Full of avarice, we become deluded, incapable of assessing the reality that surrounds us. We behave as if we have an inner power that comes forth and destroys everything which does not recognise us. We set ourselves up as gods that should be worshipped. And that is a sheer delusion since we are frail and mortal. And Jesus’ words about the rich man can be applied to us: “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?”. Death is never far away and sooner or later it will catch up with us and prove our foolishness.

ASK, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU

XVII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 11:1-13

The disciples were impressed by the way Jesus prayed. And they would like to learn from him. This desire led one of the disciples to make a request that we must repeat time and again: Lord, teach us to pray. Indeed, we do not know how to pray and what to pray for.

As a model for prayer, Jesus taught them the “Our Father”, the prayer that distinguishes us as Christians. Addressing God as Father, we declare ourselves to be his children, recognising his loving care, which fills us with trust and confidence. As we feel loved by God, we can approach him without fear and we can present to him all our needs. Calling God “our Father”, we affirm that we are linked to everybody else with strong bonds of brotherhood. We belong to the same family and together we acknowledge His love and affection. Then, we present before him our requests. And we pray: “Hallowed be your name” as if God’s name was not holy and our prayer would make it holy. However, it is not so, since God is the Holy One, without any shadow of evil or imperfection. In fact, we are addressing Him in an act of praise and thanksgiving, proclaiming that He is holy and asking that his holiness may be present in us. In the Law of Moses, God told the people of Israel what he is repeating to each one of us: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev 19:2). 

And we pray that his “kingdom come”, that is we pray for a human society in which God may be present and recognised as the giver of life; may God’s presence be manifest in a worthy existence, where our human dignity is recognised and where each one of us finds what he needs for a worthy existence (the “daily bread). God’s kingdom can only manifest itself in reconciled society;  thus we pray for the forgiveness of sin, which is granted by God on the condition that we are ready to be merciful and to forgive those who are “in debt to us”. Prayer cannot be an individualistic exercise; in all its dimensions, prayer connects us to all brothers, that is to the community, to the Church.

As we pray, we recognise that because we are weak and vulnerable, we go astray and easily fall prey to temptation. In order to find guidance, discernment and the strength to make the right choices, we pray: “lead us not into temptation”.

God always gives us the best, especially the best of all - the Holy Spirit. Jesus teaches us to have confidence in the love and care of the Father and to be persistent in prayer. We must approach God as someone who feels lost or as someone who is drowning and with desperation grasps the lifebuoy thrown at him. 

“So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him.”

TO BE WITH THE LORD IS THE BEST PART

XVI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 10:38-42

St. Augustine, in one of his sermons, reflected upon this Sunday’s gospel, speaking of Martha as representing our life here on earth, travelling towards our heavenly home; and of Mary as representing our life with God, as citizens of heaven.

“Our Lord’s words teach us that though we labour among the many distractions of this world, we should have but one goal. For we are but travellers on a journey without as yet a fixed abode; we are on our way, not yet in our native land; we are in a state of longing, not yet of enjoyment. But let us continue on our way, and continue without sloth or respite, so that we may ultimately arrive at our destination.

Martha and Mary were sisters, related not only by blood but also by religious aspirations. They stayed close to our Lord and both served him harmoniously when he was among them. Martha welcomed him as travellers are welcomed. But in her case, the maidservant received her Lord, the invalid her Savior, the creature her Creator, to serve him bodily food while she was to be fed by the Spirit. For the Lord willed to put on the form of a slave, and under this form to be fed by his own servants, out of condescension and not out of need. For this was indeed condescension, to present himself to be fed; since he was in the flesh he would indeed be hungry and thirsty.

Thus was the Lord received as a guest who came unto his own and his own received him not; but as many as received him, he gave them the power to become sons of God, adopting those who were servants and making them his brothers, ransoming the captives and making them his co-heirs. No one of you should say: “Blessed are they who have deserved to receive Christ into their homes!” Do not grieve or complain that you were born in a time when you can no longer see God in the flesh. He did not in fact take this privilege from you. As he says: Whatever you have done to the least of my brothers, you did to me.

But you, Martha, If I may say so, are blessed for your good service, and for your labours you seek the reward of peace. Now you are much occupied in nourishing the body, admittedly a holy one. But when you come to the heavenly homeland will you find a traveler to welcome, someone hungry to feed, or thirsty to whom you may give drink, someone ill whom you could visit, or quarrelling whom you could reconcile, or dead whom you could bury?

No, there will be none of these tasks there. What you will find there is what Mary chose. There we shall not feed others, we ourselves shall be fed. Thus what Mary chose in this life will be realised there in all its fullness; she was gathering fragments from that rich banquet, the Word of God. Do you wish to know what we will have there? The Lord himself tells us when he says of his servants, Amen, I say to you, he will make them recline and passing he will serve them.”

(A reading from a sermon by St. Augustine (Sermo 103, 1-2, 6: PL 38, 613, 615) for the Feast of Saint Martha sister of Mary and Lazarus on July 29.) 

IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE A FUTURE OF WELLBEING AND PEACE…

XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 10:25-37

Nowadays, many people despise God’s commandments and consider them oppressive, denying us what we most desire: happiness. However, we are misguided in this attitude, which comes from the misconception of confusing happiness with material well-being and pleasure. Moses had a different conception of life and, being convinced that God’s word is the true guide to happiness, he advised his people to listen to the voice of God and to accept his commandments. If we pay attention and listen to God’s voice whispering in our hearts, we will know God’s way, which is the true way to a meaningful life. God has put within us his commandments so that we are able to discern between good and evil and then have the strength to choose good and reject evil. Indeed, “the Word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance” (Dt 30:14).

In this Sunday’s gospel, we read the parable of the Good Samaritan, one of the most powerful parables told by Jesus. It is good to listen to it attentively and we should put ourselves in it and become aware of how we would react. Maybe, we may identify with the victim, since nowadays there are plenty of people who see themselves as victims and make demands on everybody else. However, in this parable, the victim suffered terribly, and, being left half-dead, he is not able to make demands on anybody. That’s why the parable concentrates on the attitude of the passers-by towards the victim. The priest and the Levite - two people who dedicated their lives to God - did not want their daily routines to be disrupted and refused to get involved and so they ignored the suffering of the victim, leaving him to die. 

If we look at our modern society and try to scrutinize it, we can easily discover certain patterns of behaviour which have become common, such as an enormous individualism and hedonism. We are only concerned with ourselves and our wellbeing, and this leads to an attitude of indifference towards the others. Being very selfish, we avoid anything that may inconvenience us. Nowadays, we may take pictures of someone drowning and publish them on social media, without making the slightest movement to rescue him/her. With our selfishness, we have become extremely callous. And like all others in the past, we go on being concerned with eternal life, that is with our own future wellbeing. However, the parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that we will never enjoy eternal life unless we pay attention to the suffering of the others and do something to relieve them of that suffering. Our love of God only becomes credible if we love our neighbour as well. 

The love of our neighbour is not a platonic love, shown in words and feelings; it implies commitment. In the manner of the Good Samaritan, we must allow ourselves to be touched by the sufferings of the other, whoever he may be and we must be the ones approaching him/her, becoming his neighbour. Christ is that Good Samaritan who never passes us by or walks away from us. Before those who suffer, Jesus never remained indifferent; it was as if he felt an ache in his heart, forcing him to do something. Like the priest and the Levite, we may think of ourselves as good and holy, but we are cheating ourselves if we do nothing to relieve the suffering of those whom we encounter in our daily lives.

THE SENDING OF THE DISCIPLES

XIV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Luke 10:1-12,17-20

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus prepares his disciples for the mission, not only giving them the principles that should guide them but also making it possible to have a personal pastoral experience. So “the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself was to visit.” We may be surprised by the number 72, and ask ourselves about its meaning, since most of the numbers in the Bible are symbolic. In Genesis 10 (in the Septuagint), we are presented with a list of 72 nations, which stand for the whole world. Choosing 72 disciples, Jesus indicates that the mission entrusted to the disciples is universal; he sends them to all peoples and nations. Jesus is aware that the mission is bigger than what they can manage: “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few”. It has been like that throughout the centuries, and the situation seems to be getting worse. That’s why we must heed Jesus’ advice: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.”

The disciples go in the name of Christ and with the mission of Christ. The message they are going to preach is a message of peace, the peace that is God’s gift and which accompanies his Kingdom. 

As he sends them out into the world, Jesus warns them of the dangers that they will face: they should not expect an easy life; instead, they will be attacked by wolves, that is they will be rejected and persecuted.  As for themselves, they should have a simple and poor way of life. They must concern themselves only with the mission entrusted to them. Single-minded about that, they should not waste their time on things that distract them from their mission.

Like those first disciples, all of us are sent so that we announce the good news of God's gracious and loving gift: God offers peace to all because he calls all to his kingdom. We are sent as a community, and the mission entrusted to us cannot be accomplished by each one of us individually. We have to walk together, being in communion with one another. We must bear witness as families and as a community. Let us not have illusions, we will encounter difficulties, opposition and rejection and, perhaps, even persecution. But it is being like Christ that we will draw others to Christ. Nothing - be it wealth, power, or glory - must be a hindrance to our proclamation, which must be simple and direct: "Know that the kingdom of God is at hand."

The mission of those first disciples was very successful, and they came back full of happiness. Jesus acknowledged their success but warned them about the danger of allowing themselves to be inebriated with power and glory. Their only reason for joy is that the Lord has their names written in heaven.