My friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus is near the end of his public ministry. He is making His way to Jerusalem. The place where He will first make a triumphal entrance and just a few days later be arrested, put on trial, beaten and eventually crucified. In His divine wisdom, Jesus knows what’s coming and the closer he gets to Jerusalem, the more urgently He teaches about salvation. Along the way, someone approaches Him and asks, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” It’s an interesting question. But, it’s the answer Jesus provides that really gets my attention.
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing.”... Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”This Gospel imperative runs in the face of a more compassionate pastoral approach to ministry. To become a member of the Church of the Holy Spirit, you simply need to be breathing and fill out a census card. It is very, very easy. I try to short circuit the hoops that people sometimes need to go through in the Catholic Church. My mother taught me always to be kind and trust that God’s love will be revealed.his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were
One night a house caught fire and a young little boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters." Hearing this, the boy jumped. He jumped because he trusted his father.
The seduction that can trap any of us is to think that our security is to be found in our possessions. Rather the message of Jesus is that our spiritual security is to found in a life of gratitude, living with an attitude of gratitude.