Coffee With God

 

Reflection: Luke 12: 49-53

“I have come to bring fire upon the Earth, and how I wish it were already blazing! The fire that Jesus speaks of is the fire of the Holy Spirit, the fire that is burning in us from the day of our Baptism. This fire is a creative force that purifies and renews, that burns all human misery, all selfishness, all sin, which transforms us from within, regenerates us and makes us able to love. Jesus reveals to his friends, and to us, his most ardent desire: to enkindle the fire of His Father’s love on earth. And he calls us to spread this fire around the world. Jesus wants the fire of the Holy Spirit to enter our hearts. If we open ourselves completely to the action of the Holy Spirit, He will give us the boldness and the fervour, to proclaim to everyone Jesus and his consoling message of mercy and salvation. It is precisely the fire of the Holy Spirit that leads us to be neighbours to others, to the needy, to so much human misery, to so many problems, to refugees, to displaced people, to those who are suffering. Pope Francis explains today’s passage and says, “the Church does not need bureaucrats and diligent officials, but passionate missionaries, consumed by the fire of love, to bring to everyone the consoling words of Jesus and his grace. This is the fire of the Holy Spirit. If the Church does not receive this fire, or does not let it inflame her, she becomes a cold or merely lukewarm Church, incapable of giving life, because she is made up of cold and lukewarm Christians. The pope goes on to give some tips for evaluation of our situation: It is important that today we take five minutes to ask ourselves: “How is my heart? Is it cold? Is it lukewarm? Is it capable of receiving this fire?”. Let us take five minutes for this. It will do everyone good. “Do you think I came to bring peace on Earth? No, I say to you, division “(Lk 12.51), says the Lord. The passage is indeed confusing! He came to “separate us with fire,” separate good from evil, and right from wrong. It is a call not to live as hypocrites any longer, but to be in conformity with the Gospel and be consistent with that choice. Because it is good to say that we are Christians, but above all we need to be Christians in concrete situations, witnessing to the Gospel which is essentially love for God and for our brothers and sisters.