Year C, 20 Sunday

Opening Prayer at Mass: “Warmth of Love”------ “Fire of Love”

Christ merited the Holy Spirit (fire) for us from His Passion

Christ merited the Holy Spirit (fire) for us from His Passion

Division happened in our own body: Soul vs. body. Reason vs. instinct

Division happend in our own body: Soul vs. body. Reason vs. instinct

Warring (vv. 49–53). As we wait, watch, and work, we will not have an easy time, because we are aliens in enemy territory. The images Jesus used—fire, baptism, division—speak of opposition and conflict. To the Jews, fire was a symbol of judgment; and our Lord’s coming into this world did bring judgment ().

Warring (vv. 49–53). As we wait, watch, and work, we will not have an easy time, because we are aliens in enemy territory. The images Jesus used—fire, baptism, division—speak of opposition and conflict. To the Jews, fire was a symbol of judgment; and our Lord’s coming into this world did bring judgment ().

Our Lord’s “baptism” in refers to His suffering and death, which was pictured by His baptism in the Jordan. (See and , and note His reference to Jonah in .) The Apostles certainly received a baptism of suffering as they witnessed for Christ after Pentecost.

Luke opened his book announcing “peace on earth” (), but now he has the Lord seemingly contradicting this promise. Jesus does give peace to those who trust Him (), but often their confession of faith becomes a declaration of war among their family and friends. Jesus is a cause of division (see , ; ; ). But even if there is not “peace on earth,” there is “peace in heaven” () because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross

The Gospel of Luke Notes

The Gospel of Luke Notes

More surprising is the apparent contradiction of the infancy account’s promise that Jesus would bring peace (1:79; 2:14, 29). The answer, of course, is that those who accept the prophet have this peace (7:50; 8:48; 10:5–6), but they are then separated from those who reject the prophet’s message. If

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 223). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

More surprising is the apparent contradiction of the infancy account’s promise that Jesus would bring peace (1:79; 2:14, 29). The answer, of course, is that those who accept the prophet have this peace (7:50; 8:48; 10:5–6), but they are then separated from those who reject the prophet’s message.

Our Lady of Lourdes to St. Bernadette: “I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the next.”

St John Vianney's Spiritual Force

St John Vianney's Spiritual Force

This highly focused sense of mission is always one of the signs of a mature Christian.

A short anecdote about St John Vianney [vee-AHN-knee] illustrates this sense of mission simply but eloquently.

St John Vianney was a parish priest in the little town of Ars, in France, in the 1800s.

He spent his entire priesthood ministering to that small village in that small parish church.

But by the final years of his ministry, he was world famous.

Pilgrims from every continent made the cumbersome journey to the backwoods town and waited in huge lines to go to confession with the saint.

St John had the gift of reading souls, and would often list his penitents' sins before they had a chance to say them, or remind them of sins they had forgotten or were trying to hide.

He was also famous for his nightly battles with the devil, who was so angered by this simple, holy priest that he would throw him around his bedroom and set his bed on fire.

How did a poorly educated French peasant become such a world-renowned spiritual force?

It wasn't extraordinary intelligence - he barely passed his exams in seminary.It wasn't extraordinary natural talents - he didn't have any.It was extraordinary love. It was an extraordinary sense of mission: the fire that burned in Christ's heart had completely consumed his heart too.

When he received his first assignment, he had to travel from the seminary to the parish on foot.

And he didn't know the way. So as he approached the vicinity, he stopped a farmer and asked him if he knew where Ars was.The farmer said yes, and the future saint responded, saying, "If you show me the way to Ars, I'll show you the way to heaven."

That's a man with a mission.

ALSO: St. Philip Neri’s sense of mission & fire of love

Spreading the Fire

Jesus knew he had a mission: to lay the foundation of an everlasting Kingdom by teaching his Apostles and by offering himself as mankind's redeeming sacrifice.

This mission filled him with enthusiasm and purpose.He yearned to get that fire started and to see it spread!

We are Christians, his followers.

He is our General; we are his soldiers. He is our King; we are his ambassadors.His mission is our mission. It became ours at baptism, and we took personal responsibility for it at confirmation.

Today the Holy Spirit is inviting us to renew our commitment to that mission.

He knows that the more energetically we strive to carry it out, the more fruitful and meaningful our lives will become.

We all already believe in Christ and his mission - that's why we're here.

But we can all live the mission better - that's why the Holy Spirit is giving us this invitation.

Is there someone in our life,

someone we work with, someone we just met, someone we haven't spoken to for a long time - is there someone who doesn't have the fire of Christ's wisdom and love in their hearts?Maybe this week is the time to break the ice and present our ambassador credentials, and get that fire burning.

Or is the fire dying in our own hearts?

Maybe some secret sin of dishonesty, lust, greed, laziness or irresponsibility is slowly suffocating the flame of Christ's love. Maybe a self-centered habit or an unhealthy relationship is siphoning off all the oxygen and starving our friendship with Christ.

Today our Lord is inviting us to stir up the flames, in ourselves and in others.

And he is eager to help.

Let's give him the chance.

ALSO: the mentioning of the Holy Spirt at Eucharistic Prayers (II,III & IV)