20th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022 C

INTRO:

We were typical teenagers ALONE on a hot and humid weekend as my parents were away having gone on a golf weekend. We were expecting them home late Sunday afternoon!

Well, I am sorry to say we decided to have a party on Saturday night (of course, we were not supposed to) and midafternoon on SUNDAY during a crazy rainstorm we were mad dashing around the house to get everything back in order before our parents got home.

SOUND FAMILIAR to any of you!

Well, unbeknownst to us…. the northwest corner of our house was struck by lightning that afternoon and was burning!!!!! We did not pay attention to the outside until we smelled and saw SMOKE coming from the upstairs bedrooms!!!

Of course, we called 911 and there we were …. Out on the street with fire engines and water… you name it …. It was quite the scene….

AND HERE COME MY PARENTS TRYING TO PULL INTO THE DRIVEWAY.

Our house was ON FIRE!!
Their faces aghast!!

And we never got all the evidence of the party cleaned out!! We were SO IN TROUBLE!

JESUS says to you and me today….
“I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing!!!”

Well, our house was blazing all right, but JESUS was referring to PEOPLE, good people,
Who just may be sleeping a bit and not putting their faith in CHRIST?
Who just may be apathetic about religion?
Who are not caring about anybody, but themselves?

He wanted us ABLAZE, set on fire for:
HIM, for CHRIST, for our religion, which means:
CHARITY TO OTHERS
HELPING THE POOR
BEFRIENDING OUR NEIGHBORS
WORSHIPPING OFTEN
CELEBRATING THE SACRAMENTS
AND PRAYING DAILY

Remember how it was said:
“I baptize you with water,
But He will baptize you with FIRE”?

Well, that FIRE should be inside us!

I have always been VERY IMPRESSED by our brothers and sisters here and really all throughout the world that have chosen to become CATHOLIC; to have left their family religion no matter what it was, Protestantism or any other religious culture handed on to them from parents.

At the time of Christ obviously this was happening.
“a household of five will be divided.”

That is what that “division” means. Jesus did not want the division in families as He is called the PRINCE OF PEACE, but he knew the reality when one strays from what parents gave to their children that a sad division could and would take place.

CONCLUSION

So, today, brothers and sisters, LIVE FOR CHRIST, His ways, this beautiful religion. Make sure your home life includes a fiery passion for being Catholic!