Reflection on the Gospel

08-18-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. James Aboyi

Dear Parishioners,

It’s hard to believe that one year has passed since Fr. Bob left us. We thank God for his healing work in us through this year of grief. I also thank everyone for your continued prayers and support to one another, and especially to the Binta family. As we continue to pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Bob, we also pray that God will continue to bless us with peace, love and unity as we strive to actualize Fr. Bob’s dream of building our new church. I invite everyone to join us at our First Year Remembrance Mass for Fr. Bob on Tuesday, August 20, of this week. We will begin with a Rosary led by the Knights of Columbus at 6pm, and Mass will follow at 7pm.

Reflection on the Gospel

Listening to the Gospel, today I guess some of us may be asking ourselves, “How can Jesus, the Prince of Peace, say that he comes not to establish peace on earth but division, even within families? And what does he mean by “I have come to set the earth on fire?” A brief Bible study on this may help to clarify the fire and division Jesus is talking about in the passage.

The image of fire in the Old Testament was often associated with God’s presence among the Israelites. For instance, God manifested his presence in the form of fire when he revealed himself to Moses (Exodus 3:2), God led the Israelites through the desert in the form of pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22), Prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18:36-39) and God is often described as a consuming fire (Deut 4:24, Heb 12:29). In the New Testament, fire is also associated with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11-12 and Luke 3:16-17). On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire (Acts 2:3).

We can see from both the Old and New Testaments that the fire Jesus is talking about in the Gospel today is the presence of God and the Holy Spirit in the hearts of his followers and in the world. The power of the Holy Spirit sanctifies and moves us to test our faith by fire. (1 Pet. 1:7). A household can be divided against each other because some will choose to walk in the light of Christ, while others will resist the purifying fire of the Holy Spirit choosing worldly powers, the pleasures of the flesh and wealth. When we are compelled by the fire of the Holy Spirit to speak the truth in the name of God, like Jeremiah did in the First Reading today, we may encounter opposition or even rejection from our friends and even family members.

Thank you and Remain Blessed.

Fr. James

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