“Go set the world on fire!” (St. Ignatius Loyola)

When Ignatius would send his companions in mission out into the world to spread the gospel he would commission them with this brief exhortation, “Go set the world on fire!” As disciples of Jesus we are meant to live incendiary lives. We are called to be “on fire” with the gospel and to burn in love for Jesus and for the Father who sent him into the world through the fire of the Holy Spirit that has been sent to make us living flames of love. Our faith is not something that is merely taught, and it is certainly not something that can be bought but it is more properly “caught”, enkindled in our hearts and then engulfing our entire lives. If we are to be disciples of Jesus then we need to be set on fire and allow our entire lives to be reshaped by the fire of love that God sends through his Holy Spirit upon the earth.

When Moses leads the children of Israel to the threshold of the Promised Land he cautions them about allowing the love of God alone to be extinguished in their hearts. He tells his people, “I myself shall die in this country without crossing the Jordan; but you will cross over and take possession of that good land. Take heed, therefore, lest, forgetting the covenant which the Lord, your God, has made with you, you fashion for yourselves against his command an idol in any form whatsoever. For the Lord, your God, is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deut 4,22ff) There are countless idols in our world today that lead us away from God and snuff out the flame of faith, hope and love in our lives. Money, fame, power, lust and countless other worldly allures can cause our love for God to grow cold. Soon we begin to think that there are more important things in life than our faith in God and our relationship with him. When we become distant from God, indifferent to his laws and commandments, and divided in our hearts then we risk falling into the darkness of a world devoid of the fire of God’s love.

“If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire.” (St. Catherine of Siena) We are not arsonists in our faith. We are not the source of the fire that must consume the world. God is the consuming fire. We are meant to spread that fire through the way that we live and love in the world. We bring the fire to the world but God is that living flame of love. The fire of God’s love will spread throughout the world when we are what we should be, true disciples of Jesus, living in a personal relationship with the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. “For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord.” (2 Tim 1,6ff) We must be who we should be, witnesses of faith in Christ Jesus, and not cowards hiding our faith from others under a bushel basket. “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” (St. Catherine of Siena) God, who is a consuming fire, means for us to be living flames of love with the power to set the world on fire and transform and renew the face of the earth. “So we, when we contemplate our Creator’s love, are drawn at once to love him and turn our affection completely to him. In him all the dampness of selfishness is dried up, and we take on the likeness of the Holy Spirit’s fire.” (St. Catherine of Siena)

“Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”” (Luke 12,49) Jesus comes from the Father to bring the fire of God’s purifying love to the earth. The presence of Jesus in our world brings division. Either you are “on fire” and spreading the fire of God’s love around you through selfless service in mercy and charity or you are a wet blanket, living in the dampness and darkness of your own selfishness. We are not here to “make peace” with sin and evil but to stir up the flames of faith in all people’s hearts and to set the world ablaze in love and holiness. It is impossible to live with fire if you don’t want to burn a little yourself. Others may try to put out our fire but we have to keep it burning and help it to spread. So, catch fire and then go out and set the world on fire!