The WORD in other words (2006) by Father Ramoncito Rebucias SVD – Christ the King Seminary, Quezon City
Thursday 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Our experience of Jesus is the fuel of our life. This encounter can be likened to a fire that consumes and transforms every dimension of our existence, whether at work, at home, or in the community. Jesus so completely enters into our lives that our thoughts, choices, relationships, and actions become increasingly united with him. As Saint Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). This is at the heart of an authentic religious experience.
The authenticity of this experience, however, is manifested in the concrete situations of everyday life. The way we react and respond to the needs of others, especially to the call of charity, reveals whether the fire of Christ is truly burning within us. Saint John reminds us: “Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action” (1 John 3:18).
That is why Jesus says in today’s Gospel: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Luke 12:49).The fire that Jesus brings is not meant simply to warm our hearts. It is a transforming fire that moves us beyond ourselves and makes us instruments of his love in the world.
When Jesus speaks of a household divided (Luke 12:51-53), the emphasis need not be understood merely in terms of family or generational division. It can also challenge us to recognize what happens when a Christian is set on fire by an encounter with Christ. Such an encounter changes the way he or she responds to the person in need. A person blazing with the charity of Christ inevitably stands out, whether in the community, in the office, or at home. His or her life becomes a visible witness to the Gospel.
Indeed, Jesus tells his disciples: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Christian charity, therefore, is not merely one activity among many. It is one of the clearest signs that Christ is alive within us.
The personal experience of the Lord was critical for Paul, and it remains critical for us. Once this experience of the Lord is removed from the center of our lives, everything else can become an idol. Saint Paul considered everything else secondary compared with “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). What matters, therefore, is whether Christ remains the center from which we live, love, work, and serve.
So we must ask ourselves: Is my life blazing with love for what the Lord loves, or is that fire slowly being extinguished by worldly concerns? Have the anxieties, ambitions, possessions, and distractions of this world begun to take the place that belongs to Christ alone?
Let the words of the Lord in today’s Gospel reverberate once more in our hearts:
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Luke 12:49).
That earth includes your life and mine. May the fire Christ has kindled within us never be extinguished, but continue to burn through a life of faith, charity, and service, so that others may encounter Christ through us.
