Fire. It's intense, beautiful, dangerous, overwhelming, warm, and all consuming. Fire can be used to warm us on a cold night, or as a way to gather friends on a summer evening. It can also yield immense destruction. Fire is powerful. This is the image that we hear about today as we learn more about the Holy Spirit. The Apostles have tongues of fire descend upon them. At our Confirmation, our hearts are set ablaze with the Holy Spirit. Think of a blazing fire, it consumes everything nearby, without hesitation or prejudice. Are we really ablaze with the love of Christ? Do we radically and unabashedly share him with those around us, setting their hearts ablaze, too?
Up Next in Opening the Word
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7th Sunday of Easter—May 28, 2017
In today's Gospel, a passage known as the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John 17, Jesus talks about the work the Father gave him to do. We might ask, "Exactly what is his work?" And many Christians probably would answer, "Dying on the Cross for the salvation of humanity." But as we unpack this ...
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Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity—Ma...
Have you ever felt a tug to do something out of the ordinary? Maybe say something to someone you've never met before or call up an old friend to check in even though it's been years? This tug can make us feel uncomfortable, as we aren't sure why we have this feeling we need to act, but we feel al...
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Trinity Sunday—June 16, 2019
In today's Gospel reading, we see that God's very life is one of communion. In the Trinity, we see a relationship of giving and receiving, a communion of life and love. God exists as a relationship of Persons. He is Three, and yet the "Lord God is One." How are we to bring this kind of Oneness — ...
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