Gospel
From the Gospel according to 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 sonand a son against his father,a mother against her daughterand a daughter against her mother,a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-lawand a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Burning with Love
The words of Jesus, saying that He has come to “set the earth on fire,” may sound harsh at first, but that’s exactly what He came to do — to ignite the fire of His love. He longs for that fire to spread, for His love to reach every person in the world.
We see this in the flame of His Sacred Heart — the fire of His divine love — and how deeply He suffers when that fire sometimes divides and separates instead of uniting, which is His greatest desire.
Through the sacrament of marriage, we represent Christ on earth by spreading that same fire around us — through our love, which is meant to lead us into full communion with one another and to shine as a light for everyone around us.
Sometimes, that fire between us may cause division among those who see the change it brings in our lives and don’t understand it. But may they be able to say instead, “How that marriage burns with the love of Christ, and how it draws us closer to the love of God.”
Applied to Married Life
David: Alice, have you noticed how much Mary and Ian have changed since the last time we saw them?
Alice: Yes, it’s impossible not to notice — though don’t you think they might be overdoing it a bit?
David: Maybe, if you look at it objectively. But there’s something really beautiful about the way they treat each other.
Alice: True, but you and I are nowhere near that. Besides, they spend so much time on their marriage and on helping others. We don’t have that kind of time — our life is just too complicated.
David: You’re right, but seeing them makes me want to try to improve.
Alice: To get to where they are, we’d have to change so many things… I don’t think we’re ready for that. And honestly, just thinking about it makes me focus more on what separates us than on what unites us.
David: That’s true. But they make me realize what I need to change so I can grow closer to you each day — to be more united instead of drifting apart.
Alice: Would you really be willing to do that for me? Sometimes I think about what I could do to change too, but I just don’t know where to start.
David: Then why don’t we try together? I know we’ve got a long way to go, but if we’re both thinking the same thing, maybe we can make it happen.
Alice: Great idea! I’ll call María and Iñigo so we can meet up and they can tell us how to get started. We need to ask for help — we can’t do this alone.
David: Works for me.
Mother,
Help us enter into the fire of Your Son’s Sacred Heart, so that we may burn with His love and learn to love in peace and unity.
Praise be to the Lord.