20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

To Be Set on Fire and Already Blazing

Jesus said to his disciples, “I  have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Who are the people you know who have set the world on fire with their passion for a cause? Jesus was referring to prophets who are not afraid to speak truth to power. Where in your life do you experience the call to be prophetic? Is it with your family, friends, workplace, neighborhood? Speaking truth to power is not easy and does not win us friends. The Gospel of Jesus calls us to a radical way of life that often stands in contradiction to popular beliefs. And for those who remain radically faithful to the Gospel, it could mean suffering and death. This weekend gives us an opportunity to reflect on some of the people we consider to be modern day prophets—Dorothy Day, Mahatma Gandhi, Oscar Romero, Sister Dorothy Stang, the priest in France martyred in church.

The Gospel is never fulfilled with complacency! Our challenge is to “be on fire,” to be fired up and blazing—not just in sports, or in motivation in the workplace. To be a disciple of Jesus, faithful to the Gospel, is to have one’s life challenged to the core. The values and morals of each generation inevitably come into conflict with what Jesus teaches. Strength for the journey comes from the witness of community, celebrating the Eucharist and doing justice—this too we do in remembrance of Jesus!