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Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 3:14-21
Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19
Luke 12: 49-53
S
UMMARY
I have come to set the earth on fireˎ
There is a baptism with which I must be baptizedˎ
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on earth? No I tell
you, but rather division.
R
EFLECTION
Wow, this gospel presents a vivid contrast from what I usually think of
Jesus. But with reflection I see that Jesus needed to let us know that
He had a task to do. He is telling us that He has come to change our
world with purifying fire and to establish his reign. Fire is an image we
associate with Jesus as the burning bush and as a symbol of the Holy
Spirit. So the image of fire is very powerful, and to say that ˈI have
come to set the earth on fireˎˉ gives us a vivid image of the scope of
what Jesus was intending.
The reference to baptism says that He is here to make sure we all see
that our salvation lies within our receiving of His word; the need for
our baptism is the overt sign of our acceptance of His proclamation.
But there are consequences for our lives in either heeding or ignoring
God˅s word. This is what the reference: ˈDo you think that I have
come to establish peace on earth? No I tell you, but rather divisionˉ.
He has come to shake us up, to get us out of our secure place that
we create for ourselves to charge us to be His Beloved Disciple.