Scripture Scribbles: August 14, 2022

the Gospel

Luke 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I have come to set the earth on fire,

and how I wish it were already blazing!

There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,

and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?

No, I tell you, but rather division.

From now on a household of five will be divided,

three against two and two against three;

a father will be divided against his son

and a son against his father,

a mother against her daughter

and a daughter against her mother,

a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

the devotion

“I have come to set the Earth on Fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

I really love this line… I love it. The image of fire speaks to me.

It makes me think of the Sanctuary Lamp, the candles at Mass, the tongues of fire at Pentecost….the fire He ignited in my soul years ago that has been intentionally burning ever since. I think of the Easter Vigil that my family attended this year, and the big flames whipping in the Rhode Island wind outside the church as we entered. The priests all processed into the dark church with the Easter candle and one by one we all lit each other's candles. The church was ablaze with our individual small white flames….beautiful!

I think about the Baptisms of all my children and how John the Baptist announced, “I am baptizing you with water….He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire.”

So this image speaks to me: a fire, blazing.

Then the reading goes on and I can feel myself squirm as I read the words of Jesus…“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?”.....Me?...Yes?....”No, I tell you, but rather division..”

This is when it can get tricky or when we decide I don’t really like this passage, or I don’t really understand the point Jesus is making here. We get distracted and start looking around the church and thinking, “Oh cute, I wonder who cuts her hair, I love it!”

Back to the Gospel. The good news. Good? How do I make all this division good news? I do understand it though, I do realize when we start to live our faith not everyone will agree with us. I know living our faith often means going in the opposite direction of the crowd. I also know going with the crowd would just be so much easier sometimes. What do they say? Go along to get along? That's easier, but is it right?

It reminds me of a G.K. Chesterton quote: “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” Our lives will look different if we follow Christ, but I hope they look inviting like a nice warm smoldering fire.

If I take this fire within me and help to ignite a fire in my children, and they help ignite the fire in their children, and their children….could the world be ablaze? What about a fire lit in our neighbors? Or the people that have harmed us, what if how we respond draws people to Christ? What if we pray for people when they have no idea we are praying for them? Could that help ignite a flame? Someday maybe we will get to see how our prayers and the prayers of others affected our lives…someday. As for now I will pray about the division and try to follow Christ with my little flame while trying hard to light others as I go.

Today’s devotion was written by Beth Brennan