Lk. 12: 49-53
We like to read stories…. certain stories remain with us because of its message… The story of Prometheus, the thief of fire, is such a story. It is said that only gods had access to the fire. Human beings did not have this gift, today; we cannot imagine a day without fire. Anyhow, that was the condition of humanity. Prometheus, who was a servant of Zeus, was very compassionate towards human beings. Having understood the difficulties of human life, he wanted to give this great gift of fire to humanity. Therefore, he stole fire from heaven and gave to human beings. That was a new beginning for humanity. Unfortunately, Zeus, the mighty god was greatly annoyed by the deeds of Prometheus and punished him for perpetuity. He was chained on the mount Caucasus and an eagle would eat his liver forever…
In today’s Gospel passage we see that Jesus speaking about his redemptive mission in nutshell. He says: “I have come to bring fire to earth and how I wish it were blazing already!” what did Jesus mean by bringing fire to the earth? Because of our inclination towards sin, our nature is fragile, though we wanted to do good always our sinful inclination takes the upper hand. The humankind needed empowerment to grow in virtue and to thrive towards its ultimate end. The fire Jesus means is the Spirit of God, who is the source of empowerment and transformation. Jesus speaks about a baptism that he should receive to see the blazing of this fire. The baptism Jesus mentions is his passion on the cross. John Baptist prophesied about his mission: “He will baptize you with holy Spirit and fire.”(Lk. 3:16) The sacrifice of Jesus paid ransom for our salvation that the entire humanity could access the spirit of God. We understood this passage in the context of Pentecost in a deeper manner. The apostles receive the Holy Spirit as a fire of tongue. (Acts. 2:3)The Holy Spirit is the fire that renews and empowers our life.
The second part of the gospel we see Jesus says that he causes the division. The prophet Simeon prophesied that he would be “a sign that will be opposed.” (Lk.2:35) It indicates the challenges of a disciple he/she has to undergo in this way of life. When we are renewed in the Spirit, all may not accept our renewal or Christian ideal that we want to live. The opposition can be from our dear and near ones like family members or close friends. It was visible, in the first century, the early days of Christianity and even today. The temptation would be to remain as the old namesake Sunday Christian. We should never forget that it is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, the baptism that he underwent, granted the gift of the Holy Spirit to each one of us. As we meditate on this passage today let us long for the Spirit of God… let us allow the spirit of God to blaze in us that we may be transformed us as followers of Christ who sets the world on fire…