Today is August 17, the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “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!” (Lk 12:49-50),
Today’s Gospel startles us: Jesus longs to see the world ablaze. This is not a destructive fire, but the fire of the Holy Spirit — the transforming, purifying flame that renews hearts and draws souls into divine life.
When do we first receive this fire? At baptism. In those waters, God ignites a supernatural life within us. His own Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts, setting them aflame with love. Baptism is no empty ritual; it is the moment when Christ claims us for himself, impressing an indelible mark on our souls. Once given, this baptismal character cannot be erased — not by sin, neglect or even attempts to “undo” it. God is faithful to his covenant of love.
Return to your baptism
The fire poured into us at baptism draws its power from the death and resurrection of Christ. From his pierced side, the floodgates of grace were opened so that every man and woman might be reborn. And this gift is not meant to be kept to ourselves. Christ’s desire is missionary: He longs for the whole world to be washed in the cleansing waters and set ablaze with the Spirit’s fire.
If today you feel your flame has dwindled, return in prayer to your baptism. Recall that you are marked forever as God’s own, that his fire still burns within you. Ask the Holy Spirit to breathe on the embers, to stir them into a blaze. The Lord who planted that flame will not let it die — He will keep it burning bright for the whole of your life.
Let us pray,
O God, who have prepared for those who love you good things which no eye can see, fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of your love, so that, loving you in all things and above all things, we may attain your promises, which surpass every human desire. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
