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From the Pastor's Desk: August 14, 2022
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From the Pastor’s Desk: August 14, 2022
This Sunday’s Gospel reminds us of the reason why Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, left His heavenly dwelling and became one of us…“to set the earth on fire!” Just like the Holy Spirit came down as tongues of fire to inflame the followers of Jesus in the early Church, to live and preach the Gospel, Jesus came down with the same holy fire of His love, to make us bearers of His light of truth, faith, and hope.
Today Jesus speaks to us in the first person – “I wish; I must; I have come; I tell you” – that is extremely rare in the Synoptic Gospels, to emphasize the urgency He wishes to communicate with His followers. To be a disciple of Jesus is to share in His mission – to have the fire of faith and hope that will bring countless human lives back onto the path of a meaningful and fulfilling life. He is speaking about the fire of Christian virtue, of the Christian way of life that makes power struggles, prejudice, and oppression obsolete. He is speaking of the love for one's neighbor that will take root and gradually build up a civilization of justice and love.
Twenty centuries later, we know that this is what Christ meant. But when He said it, the Church didn't yet exist and over the centuries, regardless of the greatest efforts of Jesus’ disciples, many hearts still haven't been renewed by the fire of Christ's love and wisdom.
So Jesus repeats the lesson to us again. Today the Lord confronts us with the question: How fiery is your love? How fervent is your faith? Can our faith accept contradiction and ridicule without reducing us to silence? Perhaps we are resigned to the doubts in us and in the world and do not stand up for what is right, true and beautiful. No matter what our decision will be, it will create division and strife. The only reason for us Catholics-Christians, disciples of Jesus, to create divisions in the world is to choose to speak God’s word and preach the values consistent with the message of the Gospel. Jesus’ message is divisive, because it calls us to take a stand, a position and clear understanding of our values, priorities and principles in life. The decision to speak the Truth always needs to be a part of our everyday life and calls us to a radical way of living– self-giving, unconditionally loving for the good of others. As I learned in my own life such choices will result in division among families, friends, societies, because not all of us make the same choice to follow Jesus. Paradoxically, however, it is precisely as we remain ever faithful in our relationship to Jesus, it is when we experience authentic peace, love and lasting joy. If we compromise our lives and the message of the Gospel in order to find “peace”, to fit in, or “not rock the boat”, we forfeit the everlasting gifts promised the faithful disciples. So, what is your choice?
Today, the Lord gives us His mission statement, and invites us to make it our own, to take up the baton, to put our lives on the line to spread the saving fire of Christian virtue and truth.
On Monday, August 15th, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – this year it is NOT a Holy Day Of Obligation. On this special day, as one of the most important feasts of our Lady, we reflect upon the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven. We believe that when her earthly life was finished, Mary was taken up, body and soul, into heavenly glory, where the Lord exalted her as Queen of Heaven. (CCC # 966). Let us take a moment during this day, to offer prayers and seek intercessions through Mary, Mother of God.
“Before undertaking a task great or small, before making decisions, before beginning a journey, the humble will acknowledge their dependence on God and invoke His guidance and His blessing on all their enterprises.” – The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen
I wish you a blessed week filled with the desire to spread the saving fire of Christian virtue and truth!
With prayers,
Fr. Andy
