WITH FIRE
The title of my thoughts for this 29th 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.
