At first glance Jesus’ words today are disturbing and even seem contrary our general image of a peace-loving, sweet-sounding Jesus. Fire produces change – deep, profound changes. In many ecosystems fire is necessary to produce new life, germinate seed, change static areas, and open new areas for more life. Our relationship with Jesus is similar. Personal conversion and community conversion change us and our view of the world, family, friends, and society. Jesus mentions his deep desire to see the whole world converted to God’s will.
Someone who has experienced the love of God begins to live in a new fashion – noticeably different from his or her pervious lifestyle and different from the general cultural norms. The process of renouncing selfishness, hedonism, violence, vengeance, and the abusive of others will separate a Christian from a society that does not share those vales. There will be divisions, as Jesus clearly states in today’s Gospel.
In today’s world those divisions are marked by violence, exclusion, and barriers. Even many Christians express their separation from general society through the use of violent speech, attitudes, and acts. Large portions of our society no longer talk to one another – each side feeling justified in seeing the other as some sort of demon. True Christian life and witness show a life of renunciation of non-Christian values and joy in God’s love, and constant to labor for the common good. This is the fire of the Holy Spirit that will bring about the germination of the Reign of God. The lives of the first Christians transformed the whole pagan Roman empire.
Image: “A Christian Pilgrim” https://achristianpilgrim.wordpress.com/2021/10/21/luke-1249-todays-gospel-reading-luke-1249-53-2/.