Set your faith on fire!

20th Sunday in ordinary time,
Cycle C
,
Gospel: Lk. 12: 49 -53
photo courtesy of: http://catholicfire.blogspot.com/

The religious images always inspire us to remember and pray to God, angels, and saints. One of the most powerful images is the Sacred Heart and our devotion to our Lord who is “meek and humble of heart.”

It is quite surprising that the Lord in the gospel would not be talking about meekness, but fire, battles, conflicts; of separation of families, and a kind of baptism which His anguish is so great unless it is realized.

One time when I was counseling an unmarried couple who wanted to have their child baptized, I was explaining to them the importance of a Catholic marriage and family life with the Lord when the mother of the baby’s daughter interrupted our conversation and asked, “Father, when did this start in the Church that people should be married in the Catholic Church? What is normal is civil marriage. This was the first time in my life that I heard such statements!” Upon hearing this, I nearly fell off my chair!

The topic in question may not only be about Catholic marriage, it may be about anything that before that are immoral, unchristian, and inhuman but now seemed accepted by many, like contraception, abortion, divorces, homosexual marriages, euthanasia, etc. In these situations, we need more than being “meek and humble of heart.” As St. Paul says, “We need to fight a good fight and win the race.”

Do we possess a fiery faith or a lukewarm faith hiding in the face of meekness but actually is insignificant to our lives? Do we know the implications of Christian life in the face of ethical, social, political, and cultural issues? Do we get God out of the way of the normal affairs of life and leave him in the church? No wonder, humankind is becoming confused each day and is on the road to extinction.

We need to form our consciences. We need to choose what is inherently right and avoid what is evil. We need to know what conforms to God’s natural and divine laws. We need to know what is good for our salvation and and what is for the greater glory of God.

So shift the gear from a weak faith to a fiery one. Remember, the evil one is like a roaring lion, waiting for someone to devour. Be steadfast in the faith and actively lead others to Him.

Comments