They shall bear fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy shall they be...(Psalm 92)
“I have come to set the earth on fire.” ( Lk12:49)
These words have different meanings to many people. Jewish citizens at the time of Christ regarded God’s fire as judgement- judgement against their neighbors for their enmity toward Israel. Of themselves, God would not judge harshly because Israel was “his people”.
Jesus’ statement of fire is the fire of his love; it is powerful, all consuming in Christ’s love for his Father and his creation. Jesus wants the whole world to burn with the intensity of love he has for his Father and man.
These are the properties of fire by which men view fire:
Fire is always begun by another, whether through nature (lightning) which God originates or by men as when man begins a campfire. Someone else ignites the flame. Christ became the flame for man when Christ entered into man’s humanity; he became man, so much did he love us, ”emptying himself as if he were not God.” (Merton) By the cross man realized Christ’s great love. Thus, we can be the source united with Christ, to bring someone else to experience the light of God.
Fire may begin slowly by building up layers or quickly if set up with an accelerant. Paul of Tarsus experienced his fire of love suddenly on the road to Damascus. Thomas Merton says, “Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.” Love always begets love; love blossoms; love spreads itself, like fire.
Fire needs certain conditions to grow and burn brightly. Just as the ground must be prepared so the soil has no ash to thwart growth, so too the soil of our soul must be prepared to receive the flame of God’s love. Baptism, reconciliation, prayer, will remove the trash of sin away from the heart and soul of man. Christ left us himself in Eucharist to nourish the soul of man; the more we feed the soul, the more the fire of love grows within man.
It is the nature of fire to transform, to change that which it meets. God is not distant, aloof, hidden. Love draws into itself souls which have not moved away from the Source, the flame of love of the Trinity. Christ unites us into Himself to become the source of love for another, to bring all into “Thy Kingdom come; ” when man can experience eternally God’s love.
Fire can burn brightly for a short time weaken and die out or fire can be banked and remain lit throughout the night- the dark night of darkness, the night of suffering. As free willed children of God we can choose to follow the fire in our heart or not. We can center our superficial selves on the wooden, fragile instruments of the world. Or our response to love can be prolonged, can be remembered in our trials, can last hopefully, a lifetime.
Catherine of Siena sums it up beautifully. ”Think of your soul as entering a fiery furnace of divine charity, and loves power will make you shoot out and share what you have drawn from the fire.”