The Fire Of Love:

Homily:

October 25 THURSDAY:

29TH Week In Ordinary Time Year-B

Readings: Eph 3:14-21; Lk 12:49-53

Suppose you are a millionaire. You have everything life can offer: money, prestige, power and pleasure. Would you be willing to give up all your money, surrender your prestige, abandon your power and turn your back on pleasure? If you are willing to do all that, you have only begun in a remote fashion, to approach what Jesus the Son of God did, in becomiùg man and willing to die on a cross for our sake. He foretold of his death when he said, “I have a baptism to be baptised with” (Lk 12:50). As we stand at the foot of the cross, we begin to get a glimpse into the “breadth and length and height and depth” (Eph 3:18) of Christ’s loving sacrifice. He did not die for nothing, because by his death he wanted to “cast fire on earth” (Lk 12:49). What fire? The fire of Love! A Hindu manufacturer who had come to one of my Christian prayer services told us this: “Years ago, when I was a boy, we heckled a missionary preaching in the bazaar and threw tomatoes at him. He wiped off the tomato juice from his face and then after the meeting, he took us to a sweet shop and bought us sweets. I saw the love of Christ on that day and that is why I’m here.” Yes. Love is never wasted. It makes no difference where it is bestowed.