PLAYING  AND  PRAYING 

WITH FIRE 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my thoughts for this 29^th Thursday in Ordinary Time is, “Playing And Praying With Fire.”

There’s a fascination with fire.

Watch little kids when they are watching a candle – a lit candle -  in church or burning candles on a birthday cake.

Watch the faces of people on a cold evening – sitting there – no TV on – looking into a fireplace – or a barn fire with burning logs - crackling fire snapping sounds.

Watch people running to where a building or a car is on fire.

There’s a fascination with fire.

According to the ancient Greeks, It’s one of the four basic elements: earth, fire, air, and water. [Empedocles 490-435 BC]

Fire is as basic and as primitive as the planet we live on. Forest fires, volcanos, the flow of red hot lava are part of life here on earth.

Or look up and out into space and see  the burning bursting fire flame leaping sun rising every morning and setting every evening – and riding across the sky like a chariot as the Ancient Jews pictured it.

There’s a fascination with fire!

Red is its color.

Just look at something bright red – and then something bright blue.

Different things happen in our psyche – based on colors – especially red and blue.

It isn’t by accident that the Communist flag in China was red – the color of revolution. It isn’t by accident that the United States flag is red – white and blue. We too are a country that started with a revolution.

In this homily I’m mainly looking at red – leaving blue for another day.

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel Jesus talks about two hot topics:

1)   Being on fire

2)   And the Division that fiery messages and actions can cause.

Jesus came to fire people up. He came that we might have life and that we live it to the full. He calls us to be alive – to be passionate – to be concerned – to be creative – energetic – for the good – to make this earth not a cold place – where people are cold and indifferent to each other – but a better place each day – because we’re here.

He came to cause a revolution – that our lives revolve around God and others – not around ourselves. That’s self-centeredness.

He called people to die to self and rise – get off their fannies – to serve one another.

Speak that message – and you’ll get results.

You’ll get followers – as well as those who want to kill us – because if you speak that message – and you’ll get division.

Jesus challenged the Pharisees or anyone who was lazy or cold or self-centered to catch the fire – the power of fire – in the belly – and become the best person we can be. Amen.

Listen to Jesus’ words once more from today’s gospel: “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division.”

Division show up when folks are challenged to die to self.

Then they act to protect their turf.

Anger is a fire – a reaction – and the color of anger is red – like fire – like blood – like in our faces and fists – which become red – flushed.

Anger can cause division – sometimes long division.

The title of my homily is, “Playing and Praying With Fire.”

Anger is the stuff and substance of prayer – and sometimes people turn to God in prayer when they have been burnt and hurt.

LOOKING AROUND AT THE OTHER PEOPLE AROUND US

Look around at families. Listen to people tell you about family struggles. You’ll hear about good times and bad - being united and being divided.

War and Peace.

Those are two common denominators – and dominators – peace vs. the angers of war.

War and Peace!

It’s the title of a great novel – and it’s the theme of the evening news.

We live in the United States – but sometimes we’re the Divided States.

We’ve hear about the red and blue states every November.

We have the United Nations – trying to get people to work on being united not divided.

Looking at our world – we have the haves and the have nots.

Look around the rooms we’re in and the roads we travel, we see other kids and other people who are smarter than us, quicker than us, better than us – and as a result – sometimes that can cause division.

Highly energetic types – highly creative types – highly passionate types – high achievers – can make us feel just the opposite – can make us jealous – can depress us.

Someone at work – who works very hard – putting in a full day of work can anger those who don’t want to work that hard. They feel and think that the hard worker shows them up – or might get the boss to compare them to the harder worker.

Greatness should call us to greatness – but sometimes greatness grates on us.

At the time of today’s gospel – Luke experienced some Christian community  - where folks became Christian and their families disowned them.

Christ’s words and ideas can be fire starters – for better or for worse.

How do you take people who are different than you?

Fear or joy?

Ugly or wonderful?

Do we down deep put down those who never get acne – or pimples or problems?

Do we down deep put down those who have money or a great car or great looks or have lots of friends?

Jesus saw goodness shining through those who were living in darkness.

Jesus tries to burn away the dirt – the dross – in us -  from the gold that is  in us – that is us.

Purity is a possibility.

Impurity of intentions can take over and pervade our thinking patterns.

They killed Jesus because he called us to be our best – and down deep – we have inclinations to be our best – but those calls – the best calls of the human heart – are a fire that often has gone out – and we rather stay in the dark and out in the cold.

So today’s gospel  begins: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing.”

FOR EXAMPLE

How do we deal with someone right in front of us – whom we see as better than us?

It’s often family members – as Jesus gets at in today’s gospel – but it can be someone we’re working with – or playing with.

I was playing basketball once – 3 on 3. I had the ball. I’m standing out there on the court – beyond the arc -  dribbling the basketball. The other two guys on my team were trying to get open for a pass or to open up a lane for me to dribble through to the basket for a layup.

The guy covering me is not standing in front of me – but to my right.

I say, “What are you doing?”

He says with a smile, “You can’t go to your left.”

At the age of 30 – I found out I only could move to my left on the basketball court.”

I said – still dribbling – “How do you know that?”

He said, “I was taught that’s the first thing you look at when you’re covering someone.”

He was right.

I got angry at that at first.

After that I practiced, practiced, practiced, dribbling and being able to move to my left – along with my right.

I could have stayed stuck in an inability. I could have stayed angry at myself for being so slow. I could attack the other person.

It’s a small thing – but I’ve often thought it’s a real cool example about life.

I accepted my lack – my inability – my weakness – my poverty and then worked on being better.

I did just that – and as a result – I was a better basketball player.

CONCLUSION: PRAYER

The title of my homily is, “Playing And Praying With Fire.”

Instead of red hot anger at self, God, or others, we can pray to the Spirit of God for passion and light – for fire.

Fire has always been an image of God the Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit – light a fire under all of us – to change this world for the better. Amen.