Fr. Victor Bongiovanni, sx
TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
REFLECTION:
- The ‘fire’ brought by Jesus only purifies and saves: it is the ‘fire’ of his word, it is the message of salvation, it is his Spirit, the Spirit that on the day of Pentecost came on the Disciples in the form of flame and began to propagate into the whole world like a bush-fire.
- Jesus longs to see the earth ablaze and consumed by the fire which his coming was meant to enkindle.
- It’s the fire of the judgement of God. The coming of Jesus marks a time of decision, a crisis in which none can be neutral. "Whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mk- 16,16). It's the fire of the Holy Spirit that creates new people. Jesus comes to remake the world. Those who want to follow Jesus need "the power of the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses" (Acts 1,8).
- Jesus says that before lighting this fire, he must first be ‘baptised’. To ‘baptise’ means to ‘immerse’ and here Jesus is talking of his immersion in the waters of death. He knows that to begin the new world he must first give his life.
- Then Jesus comes out with very surprising words: “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division”. Jesus’ fire is a ‘fire’ that is bound to cause problems, because it shakes up the life of many people. The oppressors, those who commit injustices, those who do not want to be deprived of their privileges feel disturbed by the Gospel. That’s why they react.
- Those who follow Jesus are separated from those who reject him, even from relatives in the same family. The division is created by the different decisions made in response to Jesus and his message. One must ever seek unity, but starting from the Word of God, from its truth. We should not keep silent if we see a false peace founded on lies and deceit, on injustice and corruption. By imitating Jesus, we should not be afraid to cause problems when we witness evil and injustice…
- The Lord Jesus knew that His coming to the earth would not bring peace but division, persecution. He did not come with the purpose of casting this kind of fire on the earth, but that was the result of His coming. One who follows Jesus is not looking for popularity but for truth and truth can disturb a lot.
TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
REFLECTION:
- The ‘fire’ brought by Jesus only purifies and saves: it is the ‘fire’ of his word, it is the message of salvation, it is his Spirit, the Spirit that on the day of Pentecost came on the Disciples in the form of flame and began to propagate into the whole world like a bush-fire.
- Jesus longs to see the earth ablaze and consumed by the fire which his coming was meant to enkindle.
- It’s the fire of the judgement of God. The coming of Jesus marks a time of decision, a crisis in which none can be neutral. "Whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mk- 16,16). It's the fire of the Holy Spirit that creates new people. Jesus comes to remake the world. Those who want to follow Jesus need "the power of the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses" (Acts 1,8).
- Jesus says that before lighting this fire, he must first be ‘baptised’. To ‘baptise’ means to ‘immerse’ and here Jesus is talking of his immersion in the waters of death. He knows that to begin the new world he must first give his life.
- Then Jesus comes out with very surprising words: “Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division”. Jesus’ fire is a ‘fire’ that is bound to cause problems, because it shakes up the life of many people. The oppressors, those who commit injustices, those who do not want to be deprived of their privileges feel disturbed by the Gospel. That’s why they react.
- Those who follow Jesus are separated from those who reject him, even from relatives in the same family. The division is created by the different decisions made in response to Jesus and his message. One must ever seek unity, but starting from the Word of God, from its truth. We should not keep silent if we see a false peace founded on lies and deceit, on injustice and corruption. By imitating Jesus, we should not be afraid to cause problems when we witness evil and injustice…
- The Lord Jesus knew that His coming to the earth would not bring peace but division, persecution. He did not come with the purpose of casting this kind of fire on the earth, but that was the result of His coming. One who follows Jesus is not looking for popularity but for truth and truth can disturb a lot.