First reading Ephesians 3:14-21
A prayer that faithful may know the love of Christ
This is what I pray, kneeling before the Father, from whom every family, whether spiritual or natural, takes its name:
Out of his infinite glory, may he give you the power through his Spirit for your hidden self to grow strong, so that Christ may live in your hearts through faith, and then, planted in love and built on love, you will with all the saints have strength to grasp the breadth and the length, the height and the depth; until, knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond all knowledge, you are filled with the utter fullness of God.
Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; glory be to him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm 32(33):1-2,4-5,11-12,18-19
The Lord fills the earth with his love.
Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.
The Lord fills the earth with his love.
For the word of the Lord is faithful
and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
and fills the earth with his love.
The Lord fills the earth with his love.
His own designs shall stand for ever,
the plans of his heart from age to age.
They are happy, whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen as his own.
The Lord fills the earth with his love.
The Lord looks on those who revere him,
on those who hope in his love,
to rescue their souls from death,
to keep them alive in famine.
The Lord fills the earth with his love.
Gospel Luke 12:49-53
How I wish it were blazing already!
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over!
‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’
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The fire of love
“I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!”. Jesus is referring to the Holy Spirit, who has poured out His love in our hearts. By baptism, we have the fire of the Holy Spirit in us. The day of Pentecost is often depicted as the apostles receiving a flame of fire in the Cenacle, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. The love of God, given to us through the Holy Spirit, sets our hearts on fire so that we may live our baptismal promises of renouncing evil and adhering to the ways of the gospel.
Living in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who always encourages us to choose love, is not easy. This is because we live in a competitive society that promotes self-interest. As a result, choosing to align with God’s values may challenge those who do not, leading to division. Jesus invites us to stand firm in our convictions in spite of the internal or external persecutions that we may suffer.
Reflective question:
What is Jesus inviting me today in my prayer?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
