I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! (Luke 12:49)
St Catherine of Siena said “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
Fire is a tremendously powerful thing. And it represents many things to us.
Firstly, it is is comforting.
When we gather in front of the fire, we feel its warmth and a sense of security. If we gather around a camp fire there is a strong sense of community. One of the less positive aspects of central heating is that we no longer need the fire in our homes for warmth - yet we still enjoy the logs and the coal fire, especially on a windy, rainy or snowy day. The fire and the hearth speak of home, and comfort and love.
And this is true also of course of our faith. It is a comfort in times of sorrow and distress. It is a refuge for the weak, and not so weak. It is our home, our assurance of God's love, our hope for life beyond this life.
Yet, secondly, fire is destructive, and because of this, it is also purifying.
Fire can cause terrible damage yet this very power to destroy is also purifying. Fire burns away the dross. It destroys the rubbish, and leaves behind what is really valuable.
The assayer’s fire purifies precious metals. The potters fire bakes the pots and fixes the glaze. The gardener’s fire burns away waste, destroys harmful bacteria.
And similarly, the fire of the faith casts away the darkness of sin. It reveals the truth, dissipates falsehood and dispels injustice.
This can be a very painful process. “Do you suppose I come to bring peace on earth?”
Jesus asks.
This fire can be divisive and hurtful. Faith, truth, honesty, compassion sometimes divide friends, families, and communities.
Faith will bring comfort - but it’s coming may not be comfortable. Christ brings fire to the earth, and in a purifying fire, something and someone will surely get burnt.
Yet, finally, fire is also transforming.
The coal which was hewn from the ground round here went to fire the furnaces, the foundries, and the factories of the Black Country, the West Midlands, and beyond. Trains crossed the nation and and ships crossed continents, powered by its fire. And still today, though not so much from coal, fire powers our cars, generates our electricity and cooks our food - especially the Sunday roast we look forward too. It is a great power which does not only destroy, but it also changes, transforms, renews. And when we are strongly motivated, angry or in love, we say that we have fire within.
And so, the fire of faith must burn in our hearts. It enthuses us, encourages us, enlivens us, transforms us. It is no coincidence that when the Spirit was given to the apostles at Pentecost he is described as 'tongues of flame', or when Jesus met the disciples on the road to Emmaus they described their feeling as a burning within. Neither it is coincidence that the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady are so often pictured as hearts surrounded by flames.
The fire of faith moves us, enlivens us, and consumes us. It brings us comfort. It challenges, disturbs and purifies us. And it changes and transforms us. St Catherine of Siena intended all these senses when she said “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” - And she was only echoing what Jesus says to us in today’s Gospel: “I have come to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were blazing already”.
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