The Great Divide

 

I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!…

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…

(Luke 12:49-53)

So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
(John 7:43)

 

I LOVE that word from Jesus: “I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing!” Our Lord wants a People who are on fire with love. A People whose life and presence ignites others to repent and seek their Savior, thereby expanding the mystical Body of Christ.

And yet, Jesus follows this word with a warning that this Divine Fire will actually divide. It doesn’t take a theologian to understand why. Jesus said, “I am the truth” and we see daily how His truth divides us. Even Christians who love the truth can recoil when that sword of truth pierces their own heart. We can become proud, defensive, and argumentative when faced with the truth of ourselves. And is it not true that today we see the Body of Christ being broken and divided again in a most egregious way as bishop opposes bishop, cardinal stands against cardinal — just as Our Lady predicted at Akita?

 

The Great Purification

The past two months whilst driving back and forth numerous times between Canadian provinces to move my family, I have had a lot of hours to reflect on my ministry, what is happening in the world, what is happening in my own heart. In summary, we are passing through one of the greatest purifications of humanity since the Flood. That means we are also being sifted like wheat — everyone, from pauper to pope. Continue reading