Today's Thoughts...

Today’s Thoughts: There are two important lines in our scriptures today that help me to understand what they are asking. In the opening line of the Gospel Jesus says. “I have come to set the earth on fire!” (Luke 12:49) Fire in the scripture usually means the presence of God. In other words, Jesus has come to bring the presence of God to the world.
 
The second line comes from our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, the writer of the letter tells us to “persevere in running the race that lies before us while keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the leader and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) These words are reminiscent of St. Paul, running the race of life with our eyes always fixed on the end prize eternity with God.
 
These two lines from our readings today help us to make sense out of the challenge that Jesus is placing before us. For almost all of the summer Jesus has been reminding us that being a disciple, being a Christian, being a Catholic, being a person of faith is not easy. Believing in God is not a fairy tale, we don’t say we believe and then live happily ever after! It is a challenge each and every day of our lives. At anytime the world can turn against us, just like it did in our first reading to Jeremiah. It can cause division even among the people we love most and the only way to get through it is to keep our eyes fixed on God and let the fire of God’s presence burn within our hearts!
 
Have a blessed Sunday everyone and don’t forget to give God a little time today!