By William Selvaraj csc –
Readings: Eph 3: 14-21; Lk 12: 49-53
Today we celebrate the feast of St John Paul II, the Pope. He was canonized in 2014. The Gospel reading of the day clearly portrays Jesus as the one who comes to bring fire on the earth. In truth, Jesus has not come to bring fire; rather he himself is the fire. Fire burns and purifies.
Fire is a symbol of purification. Jesus the fire purifies us from sin and makes us experience the freedom of the children of God. Fire is a symbol of God’s presence: The pillar of fire that led the Israelites in the desert, the burning bush that was aflame in front of Moses, and the tongues of fire that came down on the apostles after the resurrection of Jesus at the feast of Pentecost. All these revelations describe the presence of God. Fire is also a symbol of the passion and energy within a person to enrich others with the word of God and be charitable in moments of despair and challenges.
The fire which we burn during every Easter vigil is the symbol of light which dispels the darkness and frees and purifies every individual from the sinful way of life to the everlasting freedom as children of God.
As a Catholic, you and I received the fire from the sacraments right from our Baptism to spread the word of God and change the evil people into Godseekers. Jesus is the Prince of peace. He came to concentrate exclusively to save and draw the unfaithful to become God-centered persons as he had done to the vigorous proclaimer of the Word of God -St. Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles. So let us pray to God that he may bless us with the fire which purifies us from every sin and make us his servants.