The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
After years and years of growing up in a Church that I barely understood and “following” a divine savior named Jesus Christ that I never really knew — He found me, He pursued me, and He brought a fire to my heart. Jesus came in order to burn the world with the light of God’s divine Spirit, the sacred love shared between the Father and the Son. In His goodness, He broke through the walls of my heart and invited me into a posture of surrender, trust, and acceptance of His love.
The fire that Jesus stoked in my heart became one that could not be kept within me forever. I was on fire; I burned with zeal for the mission of spreading the Gospel like the saints. To my surprise, however, this was met with turmoil. The ‘division’ that Jesus speaks of in today’s Gospel, which was foretold by the prophet Micah, affected familial and other relationships very close to my heart. I was not supported in my pursuit of God, nor was I received or heard when I shared the fire that the Lord graciously placed into my life.
This experience of rejection and abandonment led me to a deep sense of hopelessness and sadness — to the point of taking on a different persona around my beloved in an attempt to return to a place of unity. In this, I forgot about the basics of discipleship: intercessory prayer, fasting and sacrifice, and patience. I forgot who I was, and who I was becoming in Christ. I lost my zeal.
St. Catherine of Siena famously said, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” Desiring to become who God meant me to be was healing. God did not want me to lose hope, or lose my grip on life. In choosing to follow Jesus, we as disciples have to accept the reality that divisions may come in our family and friends who do not share the same commitment to Christ. When division arises, allow God’s grace to work, and let Him keep your flame burning brightly. Remember who you are, and who He is making you to be.
Deacon Zinjin Iglesia is a Transitional Deacon for the Diocese of Arlington, VA undergoing seminary formation in Philadelphia. He enjoys all things coffee, good eats, kombucha brewing, traveling, and encountering God through beauty. Please pray for him as he prepares for ordination to the priesthood in 2023!