Setting a fire

Prayer for the Day

O Lord, help me to think about Your laws today and better understand them. And give me the grace to follow Your laws and become blessed by obedience to them.  Amen.



Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us who have recourse to thee!

My Rosary Intentions:

For all of my family members; Mother Mary, keep them safe wherever they may be.

For our world leaders; that God gives them the wisdom to do what is right in His eyes.

For the unemployed; St. Joseph, help them find honest work for honest pay.

Reflection

One thing about parents is that they can be very persistent and insistent that we try things we don’t like.  My mom and dad were like that.  A lot of us as children were “picky eaters”.  As for myself, I hated Brussels sprouts.  OK, bad example; I still hate Brussels sprouts!  Let’s use Mexican food, instead.  I would have nothing to do with it.  I wouldn’t even try it because I had a tasted a chili pepper once and it burned my tongue.  For a long time (well into my teens) I was afraid to “burn my tongue”. I made up all kinds of excuses though, to make my aversion more reasonable.  Mexican food “smelled funny”.  Chili sauces were too “runny”. Spanish rice was “too dry”.  I don’t even want to tell you what I thought of refried beans! (Let’s just say they were pretty unattractive). The excuses ran on and on and on.   I eventually caved in to my parents’ insistence, “took a chance”, tried some, and ever since, I love Mexican food! The more, the merrier—even (especially) refried beans.  I think all of us are tempted to be "picky eaters," when it comes to chewing the Word of God.  There are parts of the Word that just seem "unattractive" to us.  It's something about the "texture or smell" of them that turns us off, and we rarely give them a try. Jesus saying "I came for division!" isn't attractive, nor is the words of Paul about replacing "slavery" to sin with becoming "slaves" to holiness. (Luke 12:49-53, Romans 6:19-23) We'd rather Jesus had said, "I came so everyone might just get along." Those words would be more palatable. 

Jesus saw, and experienced personally, a powerful opposition.   He came to challenge the established patterns of things.  He came to challenge power and manipulation, false religiosity and arrogance, selfish living and neglect of the poor.  He came to call us to a new way of life, lived out of a sense of God's unconditional love for us - freed from all anxiety, enabled to love others as we are loved.  He really did come to "set the earth on fire."    He knew that to accept God's love this deeply - so that it becomes our mission - will place us in the cross-hairs of opposition. 

All of us know this in even the simplest of ways.  Just imagine this example.  If each one of us comes home tonight and says to one or several of our loved ones (in words that fit our hearts, our situation):  "Dear, I want to share with you how much I love you.  I know I haven't always acted loving - in fact, I've acted in a very self-absorbed way too often.  Please forgive me.  Please help me love you more and more.  Let me know what I can do to be with you and for you in your needs, and challenge me when I seem even unconsciously trapped in mine.  I forgive you.  I know that I have acted like I resent what you do or that I am disappointed in you, but now that I know I'm a forgiven sinner, I want to love and forgive you as the Lord has forgiven me.   Let's don't ever talk dis-respectfully of each other again.  Together, let's commit ourselves to live our lives more simply.  Let's waste less time and emotional energy on our internal or comfort needs.  Let's think about the needs of those in our family, our church community, and especially of the poor.  Let's find some time - perhaps time we waste on mindless TV or reading, and let's do some service together.  Let's take some stands on the side of the poor, and let's do something to write politicians, to vote, and make choices that benefit the poor.  And, let me be really bold, let's spend some time praying together - just a few words before we go to bed, or when we get up and begin our day.  Let's let the Lord be the center of our lives."

That is setting a fire.  It may not be that that will cause "division" in our family or friendships.  But, each of us probably feels the "knot" in our stomachs - just feeling how difficult this kind of simple gospel language is to say out loud, even with those we love.   It may seem so very unattractive - because of the huge opposition to it in our culture - but it may, by God's grace turn out to be something we love, at least as much as I love Mexican food--with or without the mariachis!