THE FIRE OF CHRIST

What fire is Jesus talking about? There can be many readings of this, but one fact is indisputable: his coming, and therefore his message, present a new face of God that obliges everyone to speak out, for or against. This pervades every environment where men live and work, even families themselves. The Gospel is therefore never neutral nor subject to compromise, and it demands a clear and public testimony. We can also say this: the acceptance of the Gospel implies a continuous conversion. But, and here is the point, what kind of conversion? We can talk about theological conversion. Jesus revealed to us a God totally different from the one that a certain religious culture transmitted and, unfortunately, still risks transmitting today. For Jesus, God is the Father who gives and does not ask, who is not in heaven waiting for human tribute but descends among men placing himself totally at their service. It is not easy to accept this vision when religions have always taught that it is man who must serve God and perhaps his earthly representatives. Secondly, we can talk about Christological conversion. What does it mean? What does this mean? We must not forget one important thing: the Gospels do not describe Jesus as God but God as Jesus. This means that all the indisputable divine characteristics become those that Jesus expresses. The fact, for example, that Jesus withdraws at the beginning of his preaching to Galilee, and not to Judea, as some would have thought more logical, makes us understand how the divine choice is a choice of marginality, that salvation starts from the periphery, where the marginalized and excluded live, the “rejects” as Pope Francis said. Thirdly, we can talk about the necessary conversion of the good. Yes, there is a commonplace that lives in our unconscious: the good do good and the bad do bad. But it is not exactly like that, both the former and the latter do good and do evil. The syndrome of the good is to always feel on the side of the right (cf. Lk 18:12ff). But defending one’s position, feeling always right leads to contempt for others, and sometimes to being ruthless. But not only that, the justice of the good is always against someone: those who are outside the law must be fought. According to the clichés, the bad must only change their lives (and there is no doubt about it). For Jesus, however, everyone must convert not only to become better but children of God and brothers among themselves.

Commentary by b. Sandro Carotta, osb
Abbazia di Praglia (Italy)

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves,
Prinknash Abbey