Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1: Ephesians 3:14-21
Brothers and sisters:
I kneel before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory
to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self,
and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine,
by the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus
to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19
R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
Alleluia: Phippians 3:8-9
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Luke 12:49-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Meditation
Christians Without Fire, Hearts Without Passion for God!
Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, may the overflowing grace of our God be poured into our hearts and lives. Jesus came to set the earth on fire. This fire is already burning, but has it reached my heart? Has it set my life ablaze?
The fire Jesus speaks of is, above all, the fire of His love—a love that transforms, purifies, and moves us to action. Is this fire truly burning in our hearts? Are we filled with love for the Lord and passionate about the things of God? Do we maintain a deep and living relationship with Him?
When we pray, what is it that sets our hearts on fire? Is it merely the desire to see God answer our requests? Is it the hope that He will meet all our needs and those of our loved ones? Or are we also concerned about what weighs on God’s heart?
Do we share God’s desire to see people repent and return to Him? Are we truly committed, with all our hearts, to the work of His Kingdom?
Beloved, today many hearts have grown lukewarm. Some Christian activities are carried out merely out of habit, as obligations to fulfill, boxes to tick, so that we can feel we have “done our part” while waiting for God to do His.
Sometimes, we are more concerned about what God can do for us than about what we can do for His glory. Every day, we present our needs, worries, and plans to Him, but how often do we ask Him what we can do for Him?
How many Christians are genuinely concerned about making God, His Word, and His love known in their communities? How many work fervently for the salvation of souls? Many of us stretch out our hands to God to receive, but are we equally willing to open those same hands to give, serve, and commit ourselves to His work?
Yet God’s fire can set our hearts ablaze if we allow Him to transform us. We must deeply desire this love, ask the Holy Spirit to help us know and experience it, and allow it to consume within us everything that prevents us from truly loving God.
Let us ask Him to extinguish within us the fire of selfishness, pride, indifference, and excessive attachment to the things of this world, so that He may kindle and sustain within us the fire of Christ’s love. May He deliver us from everything that paralyzes us and prevents us from fully participating in the work of salvation.
Beloved, a heart truly set ablaze by the love of Christ cannot remain indifferent to the salvation of others. This love compels us to pray, serve, bear witness, proclaim the Gospel, and commit ourselves so that others, too, may discover the joy of knowing the Lord.
Today, let us sincerely examine the state of our hearts: are they extinguished, lukewarm, cold, or truly ablaze with love for Christ?
Let Us Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, You who came to set the earth on fire, grant us the grace to be set ablaze with love for You.
Awaken our sleeping hearts, rekindle our faith, and deliver us from all spiritual lukewarmness. May Your Holy Spirit set us ablaze with His fire and deepen within us the desire to know You, love You, serve You, and make You known.
Do not allow the concerns of this world to smother the fire of Your love within us. Make each of us a fervent witness to Your Gospel and an instrument of Your saving work.
Amen.
Intercession
Let us pray for all priests who are going through periods of weariness, discouragement, or spiritual lukewarmness. May the Lord rekindle within them the fire of their first love, renew their enthusiasm for their vocation, and restore the fervour they had at the beginning of their ministry.
Let us also pray for all Christians whose faith has grown cold. May the Holy Spirit rekindle in their hearts the desire for God and a passion for His Kingdom.
Virgin Mary, intercede for them and for us!
Spiritual Exercise
Starting today, let us undertake a three-day prayer devotion to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to set us completely ablaze with the love of God.
During these three days, let us accompany our prayers with one concrete, daily act of evangelization. Each day, let us commit ourselves to doing at least one thing to make Christ known: sharing His Word, speaking to someone about His love, encouraging someone to return to God, or bearing witness to our faith through an act of charity.
May our prayer not be limited to asking for God’s fire, but may it lead us to spread that fire around us!
Flora KAMTA(Community of the Disciples of the Living Christ)
