Day 662 Friday, January 7, 2022

We are these flames!

We are in a Christian community on fire.

It is our responsibility to feed the fire.

Reflection for Sunday:

The people were filled with expectation,

and all were asking in their hearts

whether John might be the Christ.

John answered them all, saying,

“I am baptizing you with water,

but one mightier than I is coming.

I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

After all the people had been baptized

and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,

heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him

in bodily form like a dove.

And a voice came from heaven,

“You are my beloved Son;

with you I am well pleased.”

We Christians have been baptized with the fire of the Holy Spirit. We humbly ask, who are these flames? And our answer:

We are these flames!

We are in a Christian community that is aflame!

We are the flames ignited on earth to bring light to each other, to our families, to our friends, to the nations - hope to a world that desperately cries out for joyful hope.

Spirit desires us to be happy! She wants us to be joyful!

This is the fire today’s Gospel is speaking of. The fire set by Christ’s burning love, the Holy Spirit, in the hearts of us disciples.

Fire is not solitary. Its very nature is to spread and engulf everything in its path. So how can we let this fire erupt in our daily lives? Through joy. The greatest gift we have to aid us in this mission is joy An internal disposition that looks at the other and sees them as gift. The ability to smile at the other, even though we may be facing difficulties. A joy that is characterized by sacrifice and service.

Let's explore fire and joy on Sunday:

Daily Reflection: A Blessing from John O'Donohue

“For Equilibrium, a Blessing: Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore, May the relief of laughter rinse through your soul. As the wind loves to call things to dance, May your gravity by lightened by grace. Like the dignity of moonlight restoring the earth, May your thoughts incline with reverence and respect. As water takes whatever shape it is in, So free may you be about who you become. As silence smiles on the other side of what's said, May your sense of irony bring perspective. As time remains free of all that it frames, May your mind stay clear of all it names. May your prayer of listening deepen enough to hear in the depths the laughter of god.”

― John O'Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings