Fire is used often in the Scriptures as a symbol of Divine Love, a love which works to cleanse souls of impurity. It is like the fire which never says enough. Love is ignited by contact with God.
The disciples on the road to Emmaus said:
“Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures? (Lk 24:32).
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire, to purify their hearts and to empower them for their mission of extending the Kingdom of God throughout the world.
Jeremiah said:
There is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
He lived around 600 BC in the Southern kingdom of Juda, the capital being Jerusalem. The northern kingdom had already been conquered by the Assyrians and now there was a great threat from Egypt in the South and Babylon in the North. Juda was now vulnerable. Jeremiah had the mission we hear about in the First reading today, of calling people to conversion to avoid the consequence of their sins which would mean being conquered and exiled to a foreign land. Every time the King of Judah asked Jeremiah for guidance, Jeremiah would pray, receive instructions from God and inform the King. But then the King would do the exact opposite. In addition, when Jeremiah warned the people to repent and turn back to the Lord, they would not listen. Eventually Judah was conquered by Babylon, the city of Jerusalem destroyed, the Temple desecrated and all the able bodied people taken into exile in Babylon. This was due to their disobedience to the Ten Commandments and Covenant God made with Moses. They had despised the prophet Jeremiah and his message, spread lies about him, put him in the stocks and thrown him down a well to starve to death amongst many other sufferings. Jeremiah suffered greatly in preaching the word of God.
In our days top sprinters wear extremely tight clothing and super light shoes to maximize speed. They don’t even want a flap of fabric catching the wind and slowing them down for a fraction of a second. They are running to win, and competition is intense. We need to run to win too. It is necessary to get rid of the burden of sin which clings to us and persevere in running the race to win with our eyes focused on the finish line. This is the secret to victory in this life and holiness.
Jesus wants us to be witnesses in the world, to spread His light everywhere. The word martyr means witness. Although we may not have to shed our blood for our faith, we all suffer many pin pricks in daily life. In spite of annoyances, we should keep smiling, when we feel bad, speak kind words, refusing to give into bitterness or hatred towards someone who has hurt us and instead choosing to forgive as Jesus has taught us.
It is not God who brings division into the world, but those who resist and reject God grace by hardening their hearts. If someone is in sin and not at rights with God, that person can’t really be at peace with himself or herself and this in turn leads to disharmony with others. It has a ripple effect. We see this in families and in communities and society at large. This hardness of heart led to disaster in the time of Jeremiah and is the cause of the moral pollution in today’s world and the attacks on human dignity. This is why we have the horror of abortion in the world and the spread of euthanasia. But euthanasia is for animals, as an act of mercy, not for human beings who have an immortal soul and whom God holds in existence at every moment. In addition, an immortal soul is infused at the moment of conception, so human life is precious from conception until natural death. The contraceptive mentality and separation of sexuality from morality has been disastrous for society and is the cause of so much brokenness and breakdown of family life, resulting in crime, suicides and so many wounded young people who have lacked a loving and prayerful family atmosphere.
Let’s always speak up for the truth, even though it may be unpopular to do so. St Thomas More and others are great saints of the Church because they sought to please God, not men, lets imitate the saints in spreading the light of truth through our fidelity to the word of God and openness to the fire of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to be witnesses to Christ in today’s world. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth!