‘I baptize you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire’ (Luke 3:16). 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Ephesians 3:14-21

 And now I kneel

In the presence of the Father   from whom every family in heaven and on earth has received its name.

 May he strengthen in you the inner self through his Spirit, according to the riches of his glory;

 may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith;

may you be rooted and found­ed in love.

 All of this so that you may understand with all the holy ones the width, the length, the height and the depth—in a word,   that you may know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, that you may be filled and reach the fullness of God.

 Glory to God who shows his power in us and can do much more than we could ask or imag­ine;  glory to him in the Church and in Christ Jesus through all generations for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 11-12, 18-19

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Luke 12:49-53 

I have come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already kindled;   but I have a baptism to undergo and what anguish I feel until it is over!

 Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.   From now on, in one house five will be divided; three against two, and two against three.   They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daugh­ter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

  

 Gospel Reflection：

 Being on Fire

St. Anthony Mary Claret, founder of the congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart (Claretians), gave a definition that he wanted his spiritual sons to grow into. It begins thus: “A son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with charity who spreads its flames wherever he goes.

He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set everyone on fire with God’s love….”This is the Kind of fire that Jesus longs to ignite the world with. And this fire produces two results: it sets us afire with love for God and charity for our fellow human being. This fire is possible only when we understand”the width, the length, the height, and the depth” of the love Christ has for us, as Paul reminds the Ephesians.

As and when that happens, God becomes our priority, over and above all human relations. This understanding and fire are not of our making; it is the gift of the Spirit, for which we must incessantly pray.