"I have come to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were blazing already!". In Scripture, fire has dual meaning. On one hand, a fire that revives. For example, the burning bush where the Lord appeared to Moses, calling him to free His people from Egypt (Ex 3:1-14), and the fire of the Holy Spirit which came down on the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:3). On the other hand, there is the fire that destroys. For example, the fire which destroys the tree that does not bear good fruits (cf Lk 3:9), or the eternal fire that is prepared for the devil and his angels (cf Mt 25:41). But one thing these fires have in common is that it changes things.

Jesus came to change the world: "Repent and believe in the good news" (Mk 1:15). It is not an easy task, but one filled with resistance and division. The fire that Jesus brings thus may lead to division even in the most basic unit of a community, which is the family. But it is a fire that frees us from sin, from the slavery which ultimately leads to death. It is fire which is given by God and eventually will lead us to eternal life.

So, be not afraid of the fire which Jesus brings, for it is a fire that lights up the world, filling our lives with the light of life.