“I have come to set the earth on fire.”
These words from Jesus stir something deep, not fear—but longing. Pope Benedict XVI described this fire as Christ’s own Passion of love, a flame that purifies, frees, and makes life grand. I’ve felt this fire, sometimes gently, sometimes fiercely burning away what no longer belongs, what keeps me from being fully who he wants me to be.
I’m learning that to follow Christ is to risk being scorched. It’s not always comfortable. Truth, when spoken like Jeremiah did, can isolate us but it also liberates. I’ve seen how his fire divides me from the burdens I cling to, the sins I justify, the comforts I hide behind. In that painful stripping away, something brighter begins to glow.
I’m learning to entrust myself to this fire and to let it reshape me. To speak truth, mainly to myself, even when it costs me. To wait with eyes fixed on Jesus, trusting that he will place a new song in my mouth—a song not of my own making, but born of his love.
I want to live ablaze. Not half-lit. Not lukewarm. But fully alive in the fire of Christ.
Smitten With Goodness 