Ignite

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Ignite

Cloud of Witnesses

Fire   Baptism   Division

Eyes Fixed On Jesus

Blaze

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scriptures: Hebrews 12: 1 and 2

We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.

When we rid ourselves of sin, we can persevere in running the race with our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Luke 12:49

Jesus was talking with His disciples and told them, 

"I have come to ignite the earth.

How I wish it was already blazing!"

Reflection

Have you ever felt so excited about some really good news that you just couldn't wait to share  with someone? The story ignited you and thrilled you. 

I think that must have been the experience of the apostles on Pentecost Sunday. The Holy Spirit ignited them with those tongues of fire. They could not wait to tell the people all about Jesus. 

I remember a song by the Doors that was very popular in 1967. It was called Light My Fire. It was about igniting the fire of love between a man and a woman. 

The beat was very intense, and you felt the passion between the two lovers. That feeling of course can burn out. The fire that Jesus is talking about in our passage from Luke is as intense as the feeling that the Doors are celebrating but it never fades. 

It is a fire that flows from the message of Jesus. He is calling us to love one another. Jesus knows that the power of that Love can transform us and the world. 

We know this because, as our reading from Hebrews mentions, we have a cloud of witnesses who testify to that Love. Many are witnesses in the literal meaning of that term---they are martyrs for that Love. They have given their lives because they believe that there is no greater Love than the Love that comes forth from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

We can feel the fire of that Love within us. It has warmed us and led us to Love, especially those whom others have rejected. It is a fire that flows from our Baptism. We have been given the Holy Spirit and are called to renew the earth.

This fire is not accepted by all. Jesus warns about this and tells us that this fire, this Good News, this Love will cause division, even division within families.

Some people cannot accept that Jesus loves them. They do not believe that they are loveable. They might have been told that they are stupid, that they have no value, that they will never amount to anything. They might have experienced a lot of failure and frustration in their lives. 

Jesus is not concerned about all of that. He wants to ignite us with the fire of His Love. He knows what is in our hearts. He knows how deeply we desire union with Him. 

Our challenge is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. There are so many distractions that we face and so many voices that want to mislead and misinform us. When we focus on Jesus and His message of compassion for others, we are ignited.

That blaze will never go out!

1. What is the best news you have ever gotten?

2. What is the fire that Jesus wants to ignite?

3. Who are some of the witnesses that have influenced your faith?

4. Why do you think that the teachings of Jesus have caused so much division?

5. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)