Fr Kevin Kilgore

“I have come to set the world on fire,” Jesus says.

Fire is often used in scripture as a symbol of divine power.

Just as fire has the ability to scorch, to singe, to separate, so God has the power to remove from our hearts whatever is sinful or impure.

But if Jesus is to do this purifying work within us, then our hearts must be open.

As we hear in the Book of Revelation, what Jesus cannot tolerate is a “lukewarm” heart – one that entertains both good and evil desires.

Such a person is on the fence, undecided about God.

But the Gospel reminds us that we must be either totally for or against Jesus; that middle ground of indecision will be burned away.

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So how strong is the divine fire within us? Has the Lord burned away every impure habit and inclination?

Or are there still lukewarm areas in our lives, places that need to be purified?

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There certainly are for me, which is why the Gospel is so challenging today.

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But Saint Paul tells us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, think about these things… Then the God of peace will be with you.”

Everything else must go.

 

 

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If you’ve ever traveled through an airport then you know the drill of going through security.

When it’s your turn, you must empty your pockets, remove your jacket, belt, and shoes, and place your luggage on the conveyor belt before walking through the metal detector.

That “narrow gate” has no extra room for your luggage.

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Isn’t that an appropriate image for life?

We cannot take anything with us when we go, except our faith and the good works we’ve done for others; you might say, what’s in our heart.

This is why Jesus cautions us against riches – they have no lasting value; yet we can spend our entire life in pursuit of them.

But it’s not just riches that can get in our way; some of us may be clinging to an unhealthy habit, an unfulfilling relationship, or above all, the fear of saying, “yes” to God.

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Just consider the man in today’s Gospel.

“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” … “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor,” Jesus says. “Then come, follow me.” 

But he walks away sad, “for he had many possessions.”

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On the surface, this young man was probably a very good person – religious, diligent, attentive, an achiever; even a perfectionist.

As he says to Jesus, “Teacher, all of these commandments I have observed from my youth,” meaning he’s honored his mother and father, he’s never killed anyone, he’s never committed adultery, never stolen anything, never lied.

But being a good person doesn’t necessarily translate into being a good disciple; faith can be much more demanding than that.

“Go, sell what you have,” Jesus says. “And then come, follow me.” 

These are very radical demands. Jesus not only asks this man to sell everything he owns; he also asks him to part with his own plans for the future.

And perhaps that was even more difficult – losing control; giving it to God.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus says. That is, follow the path that I have in mind for you.

But this young man just can’t do it. He wants to live life on his own terms.

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Do you think if he had followed Jesus that he would’ve been happier in the end? Would he ever have regretted saying, “yes” to God?

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This is ultimately a question we all must answer. Will we let God take control of our lives? Will we let him plan our futures? Or will we live life on our own terms?

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Perhaps the greatest obstacle to saying, “yes” to God is fear.

Like this rich young man, it’s the fear that if we allow Jesus to take control, if we put his teachings into practice, then we’ll miss out on life; we won’t have any fun.

It’s the fear that Jesus will challenge us, lead us beyond our comfort zones, down paths we didn’t plan ourselves.

It’s the fear that if we give up our belongings and our habits, we’ll not be happy; we’ll be sad.

Fundamentally, it’s the fear of missing out, or as the Millennials say, “FOMO.”

My brothers and sisters in Christ, this fear is a lie!

Look at what happens to the young man in the Gospel. He walks away sad! He chooses his possessions, he chooses the world, he chooses to live life on his own terms, and he walks way sad…

Although we know ourselves well, God knows us better. God can make us happier than we can make ourselves.

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To our young people, will you entrust your future to Jesus? Will you be open to his voice?

And parents – will you encourage your children to follow him, even if that means saying “yes” to a life of service, such as becoming a missionary, a nun, or a priest?

Will we fight the “FOMO,” the fear of missing out, trusting that the Lord has better plans for us, plans we couldn’t make on our own?

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Jesus asked for everything from the rich young man – his wealth, his heart, and his future. Fortunately, Jesus doesn’t always place the same demands on us; not everyone is called to sell their riches and give them to the poor.

But we are all called to give Jesus our heart – and that includes control of our lives.

For only he can lead us through the “narrow gate” into his kingdom, where we can take nothing with us but what’s inside.

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It was the summer of 1987. The Cold War had reached its climax. Would the world end in a nuclear war?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Do you remember, in particular, the bold speech of President Ronald Regan, who sternly pointed his finger at the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, commanding him, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

That is, the Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Germany.

Reagan’s famous quote reminded the world just how much walls divide us. After all, that’s their purpose – to separate people, to keep them out.

Think of how often walls are still used to separate nations, communities, and families…

Now I’m not seeking to enter into a political discussion — I’ll let the news shows do that.

But what I am suggesting is that our ability as people to erect physical walls points to a deeper tendency within all of us.

We’re all guilty of putting up emotional walls, barriers in our minds and hearts meant to keep people out, to prevent them from ever hurting us.

These walls can be found in marriages, families, friendships, and even in our relationship with God. Wherever two people exist, there is the potential for a wall.

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Think about some of the more painful experiences we’ve had in life.

Some of us have been bullied or experienced the sting of prejudice. Others have been abandoned, lost a loved one, suffered a broken heart, or experienced the wrenching pain of divorce.

These experiences wound us. They hurt! As a result, we put walls up to protect ourselves from ever being hurt again.

We can even put up temporary walls against people we love. How many of us have given someone the “silent treatment” or held a grudge?

These, too, are meant to create distance, to keep people out.

And while protective, such walls come at a cost – they impede us from entering into nurturing, life-giving relationships…

Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Human beings have done this since the time of Adam and Eve.

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In our first reading from the book of Genesis, God creates Adam, the first human being. But God knows that Adam is not meant to live alone, so God creates different animals to keep him company (Genesis 2:18).

But this is not enough.

Adam will only be complete if he enters into a relationship with another person. So God creates Eve. (Genesis 2:21-22)

We know the story from here – Adam and Eve live in harmony until the fall, that moment when they both eat from the tree of knowledge.

And when God asks them why they did it, Adam is the first to respond, throwing Eve under the bus, saying, “She made me do it!” (Genesis 3:12).

And so we find the first argument, and consequently, the first wall put up between two people. And this wall was erected inside a marriage.

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Let’s fast forward to the Gospel, where we find the effects of these walls. The scribes and Pharisees question Jesus about the possibility of divorce.

“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” they ask. (Mark 10:2).

That is, is it lawful to erect a permanent, legal and emotional wall between two people who were once intimate?

Jesus simply responds, Moses permitted divorce because of the “hardness of your hearts.” But from the beginning, it was not so. (Mark 10:5)

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Let’s be clear. Jesus is not out to condemn us. He doesn’t condemn people who are struggling in their marriage, or even those who’ve ended in divorce.

What Jesus condemns is a hardened heart– a heart that is closed off to love and forgiveness, a heart that is entirely surrounded by walls.

Such a heart may even be closed to the love and mercy of God.

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What walls have I put up against my spouse, my children, my parents, or others whom I’ve loved?

How do I block people out?

Am I nursing a grudge, hiding behind the fear of rejection, or unwilling to forgive someone who’s hurt me?

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And, more importantly, am I open to tearing these walls down?

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Remember Regan’s famous line from West Berlin, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

Regan understood that real peace was only possible in a world without walls.

Clearly, we are still far from that ideal.

But the lesson still rings true for us. Peace is only possible in the world and in our hearts, if we tear down the physical – and perhaps more importantly – the  emotional walls that divide us.

What walls separate me from others? Will we tear them down?

We will only be happier, freer, if we do.