"I
have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!"
(Lk 12:49)
In the old testament fire symbolizes the word of God proclaimed by the prophet. But it also signifies the divine judgment that purifies God’s people by passing among them.We can say the same about the word of Jesus: it builds up but, at the same time, it destroys whatever is incoherent, whatever needs to be brought down, whatever is vanity, and it leaves standing only the truth.
John the Baptist had said of him: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Lk 3:16), announcing beforehand the Christian baptism inaugurated on the day of Pentecost with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the appearance of the tongues of fire (see Acts 2:3). This then is Jesus’ mission: to spread fire on earth, to bring the Holy Spirit with his renovating and purifying force."I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!"
Jesus gives us the Spirit, but how does the Holy Spirit act? He fills us with love, and he wants us to keep this love enkindled in our hearts.
What kind of love is it? It’s not an earthly, limited kind of love. It’s the love that the Gospel speaks of.
It’s a universal love, like that of the heavenly Father who makes the sun rise and the rain fall on the good and the bad, including enemies (see Mt 5:45).
It’s a love that doesn’t wait for the others to take the first step, but that always takes the initiative in loving.
It’s a love that makes itself one with every person: suffering and rejoicing with them, sharing their worries and hopes. And, when needed, it does so in a concrete way, with deeds. It’s not simply a sentimental love that is expressed with words alone. It’s a love in which we love Christ in our brothers and sisters, remembering his words: "You did it for me" (Mt 25:40).
It’s a love that leads to reciprocity, to the achievement, with others, of mutual love.
Because this love is a visible, concrete expression of our life based on the Gospel, it underscores and bears witness to the word—the word that we can and should, then, offer to others.
"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!"
Love is like fire—to keep it always lit it needs to be burning something, our selfishness first of all. This happens because when we love we go out of ourselves towards others: towards God, by carrying out his will, towards our neighbors, by helping them.
Even a tiny fire, if it is fed, can turn into a blaze, that blaze of love, of peace, and of universal brotherhood that Jesus brought on earth. n
The commentary to the Word of Life is translated in 90 different languages and dialects, and reaches more than 14 million people worldwide, through the press, and radio and TV programs. If you would like to read experiences of life related to this or to past " Words of Life," they can be found in Living City magazine, the monthly publication of the Focolare Movement. For information, or to subscribe, write to: Living City, P.O. Box 837, Bronx, NY 10465. To order the magazine, call: 1-800-462-5980. E-mail: livingcity2000@att.net or info@newcitypress.com or visit the website: https://www.newcitypress.com/livingcity.htm © 2001 - Living City of Focolare Movement - P.O. Box 837, Bronx, New York 10465Presented here with permission of the publishers
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