“I came to cast fire upon the earth.”
The use of this word “fire” is to remind us of the need of purification. Saint Ambrose states that Christ is “the Author of good will, who purifies the golden vessels of the Lord’s house, but burns away the straw and stubble.” Saint John Chrysostom points out that this fire has been poured out “for the consuming of sin, and the renewing of souls.”
There are three states to the Church. There is the Church Triumphant which is the Church who now reigns victorious in Heaven and thus intercedes for all of us. There is the Church Militant which is all of us here who should be striving to make it to Heaven to be counted as the Church Triumphant. Finally, there is the Church Suffering which is made up of the poor souls in Purgatory for whom we must now pray. These souls are destined for Heaven, but we must also remember to assist them through our prayers and sacrifices. In this manner they too can receive this purifying fire.
Saint Gregory the Great reminds that fire also comes to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. Through “the fiery breath of the Holy Spirit, the earthly mind has all its carnal desires burnt up, but inflamed with spiritual love, bewails the evil it has done; and so the earth is burnt, when the conscience accusing itself, the heart of the sinner is consumed in the sorrow of repentance.”
And so if we truly believe that we are destined for the Kingdom of Heaven we must be willing to participate in this fire now. We cannot run away from it, but we must be willing to participate in its purifying flame. The Book of Revelation states concerning Heaven that nothing unclean will enter into it. Truly, we must be wiling to purge away any uncleanliness that would make us unworthy of Heaven. This is the same uncleanliness for which the souls in Purgatory are now cleansed.
Therefore we must cast off from our midst that which leaves us dead to the words of the Gospel. We must accept the sufferings that are present in our state in life and come to embrace them as Christ came to embrace the cross. The cross is not pleasant, but it truly is a life rewarding reality. May we participate in the life of the sacraments and take up the attitude of sacrifice in order that we may purge away that which leaves blind to Christ and the grace in which He desires to shower down upon us.
Saint Josemaria Escriva prays: “O Jesus, strengthen our souls, open out the way for us, and, above all, intoxicate us with your Love. Make us into blazing fires to enkindle the earth with the heavenly fire you brought us.” Through embracing the cross and leaving the precepts of the Gospels we will begin to do precisely this. We will set the world on fire with the love of Christ. With the world set on fire more and more souls will be drawn to this amazing font of love which is Christ our Lord.
