Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“I have come to bring division.”

God in Jesus Christ came to heal the world through love. That love would split the world into those who accept it and those who don’t.

Today’s passage reveals Jesus' passionate desire to bring that fiery, transformative loving  presence to the earth, even though this would cause division rather than universal harmony – even within families.Love unites. Indifference fragments.

The "fire" symbolizes God's purifying love. The "baptism" Jesus undergoes refers to his suffering and death on the cross – which revealed the quality of God’s love for us.

This message calls followers to a commitment that will create spiritual conflict, forcing a choice between loving and serving God and serving self, which ultimately distinguishes those who embrace God's light from those who remain in darkness.

In Matthew we read, "Whoever is not with me is against me" (Mt 12:30)

At Baptism we enter the Church. However, it is up to us, to convert that membership to a commitment, to spreading the message and reality of the Kingdom of God: both a present reality and a future hope.It's a realm where God's will is being done, where His love and justice reign, and where people live in harmony with God and each other.

Just like here at Kensington Square.

However, it is good to ask yourself, “What am I doing in spreading it? Can I encourage my friends – including my family – to come embrace God’s love and thus  become beacons of hope in  and for their community. I try.

After all, this Jubilee Year is a Year of Hope. Hence the Hope candle on the altar.