Change the Culture!
Too often Christianity is thought of by those outside as one political entity and social club among many. At times, Christians tend to think in the same way. This past Friday, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. His Most Sacred Heart is one pierced by thorns, wounded by a lance, crowned with the Cross, and set on Fire. Jesus, in Luke's Gospel, gives some understanding to what it means to say that His Heart is on fire.
“I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!
Lk 12:49
To set the world on Fire is to wake up all of humanity, to provide another 'quickening' an infusion of new life which is found in the authentic Faith in the Lord Jesus to be lived out each day in the life of the Christian. The other element in this Fire that Christ's Heart Burns with and with which He intends to cast fire upon the earth is a purification. A purification of the Lord is not one of force, rather it is one of love and of passion. The purpose of the Faith, as it is lived in my own life, and as I share it publicly, is the salvation of my soul and of the soul of each person in this world. The purpose of this purifying fire of the Most Sacred Heart is to be contagious and to spread like a wild-fire. The desires of the Heart of the Lord is Freedom, Peace, and Unity with His people. The Fire of the Sacred Heart purifies by burning away sin and everything opposed to perfect union with God.
Many times, we forget this idea of the Fire of Faith in favor of action, argumentation, and a sense belonging to a group with common interests. Rather, the Fire of Faith demands of us to allow it to burn. We Christians ought to bow our heads before Christ's heart present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist in reverence and humility, begging the Lord to set our hearts on fire with the zeal for the Salvation of Souls. We ought not be entirely focused on electing the right politicians, getting the right laws passed, or hoping for the right judicial decisions to be made (though these things to remain important). Rather we should cast the intensity of our focus on the spread of the Gospel, the conversion of hearts, and the Change of Culture. Humanity can only truly flourish when we human beings are zealous for the upholding of the dignity of all human life. The highest good that God created is the only creature that is emblazoned with the Divine Image, human beings. Human life is not a commodity meant to serve my comfort or desires, rather it is the highest created good with the highest dignity of any other thing in the entire cosmos. The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus burns with Love for human beings, and we ought to burn with the same love for our brothers and sisters. We must live up to the call of our Faith to spread the Faith, to fight for the good of those around us, to defend the dignity of the unborn, the elderly, the poor, the outcast, and every single human life that exists. Human beings are not ever our enemy or a means to an end.
Human Beings are the worthy of being loved for their own sake.
So, let's change our culture to reflect this great truth!