Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
I Have Come To Bring Fire
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
Christ has set us free for the kingdom and the life and love of God. It is a liberty that is no longer license, a liberty that reshapes us in Christ and opens us to service of God and people. It is all a gift from God
Today our Lord confronts us with the question: How fiery is your love and your faith? Can our faith accept contradiction and ridicule without letting us be reduced to silence? Perhaps we are resigned to the evil in us and in the world and fail to stand up for what is right and good. If our love for the Lord and people is strong enough, we do not tolerate an easy peace that puts our conscience to sleep. Let the fire of the Spirit burn in us.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you have set us free in Christ,
free from our selfishness,
free from shame and fear,
free for life and service.
God, accept our thanks for this free gift.
Give us the strength, day after day,
to grow in this liberty
and to help our little or large world
to attain the same freedom
from sin and its consequences:
from injustice, suffering, and oppression.
One day may we be completely free
in your eternal home,
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (Ps 40:5) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
I have come to bring fire on the earth, and I wish it were already ignited!
But I have a baptism to undergo, and I feel great anguish until it is finished!
Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on, a group of five will be divided within each household: three against two, and two against three.
They will be split between father and son, son and father; mother and daughter, daughter and mother; mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law and mother-in-law.
Prayers of the Faithful
– Jesus, set your Church afire with the flame of a deep concern to bring your good news to all. May the gospel dialogue with the world and with its aspirations and needs, we pray:
– Jesus, give the warmth of your strength to all who have to pass through the fire of suffering, failure and discrimination and keep them from discouragement, we pray:
– Jesus, light your fire again in the hearts of those whose faith has become lukewarm or who have lost the way to you, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
these gifts of bread and wine
are humble offerings
but they stand for all the love
of which we are capable.
Bring them to life and let them become
the living sign of your love for people,
your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him fill our banal words
with a spirit of loving service springing from the heart,
and our inept gestures of love for one another
with the wholeness and fullness
of the love of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God, our Father,
your Son came to bring fire on earth;
he himself passed through the fire of life.
Make us realize, Lord, and accept
that we may not seek peace at any cost.
Give us the fire of your Spirit
that we may not seek security
in the self-contentment of the status quo,
but go and commit ourselves
like Jesus, your Son and our Lord.
Blessing
Too often the fire of faith and love is easily extinguished in us. We are not heroes, or perhaps only rarely. It is easier to be left in peace. May God preserve us from a guilty peace and keep the fire of faith and love alive in us, and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
23 October 2025
Luke 12: 49-53
The fire of Christ, the Cross of life
The disciples of were waiting for a Messiah who would be a glorious conqueror, a king who would bring peace and prosperity. But Jesus speaks of judgment, suffering, and division. This is not the golden age they were expecting.
Fire, in the language of Scripture, is a symbol of judgment. Jesus reminds us that his coming demands a choice, and his Word burns away illusions and false securities. Like fire, it purifies and reveals what is true. We may want to soften the sharpness of Jesus’ Words, but they always carry us to a moment of decision.
Jesus speaks of his “baptism.” He is not talking about water, but about being plunged into suffering—the baptism of the Cross. He is fully aware of what is to come, and yet he walks toward it willingly, out of love. This is the paradox of the Christian faith: the King triumphs by sacrificing his life.
Finally, Jesus explains that His arrival will cause division. We understand how true this is, as families, friends, and nations can be divided over the choice to follow or reject Christ. Loyalty to Him must take precedence over all other relationships.
The question for us today is simple yet demanding: Do I allow the fire of Christ to purify my heart? Do I embrace his Cross as the way to life? Am I willing to choose Christ, even when it costs me?
Jesus is not a distant conqueror. He is the King, whose crown is thorns and whose castle is a Cross. He invites us to share his victory—not by avoiding the fire, but by passing through it with Him.
Jesus did not call us to walk the easy way
Today, we see this tension manifest in various ways. Contemporary debates on social justice, environmental stewardship, and inclusion within the Church sometimes create divisions. Pope Francis’ call to care for the marginalized, address the climate crisis, and build a more synodal Church has sparked both support and resistance. This reflects Jesus’ words that His coming would cause division, as the Gospel invites us to confront our comfort zones and make tough choices for the sake of love and justice.
In our daily lives, we are called to discern whether we are following Christ wholeheartedly, even when it leads to discomfort or conflict. The "fire" Jesus speaks of can be seen as the Holy Spirit at work, purifying and transforming both our hearts and society. As disciples, we must embrace this fire, allowing it to reshape our priorities and lead us toward a more faithful and courageous witness to the Gospel.