In this commentary on the Gospel, Friar Luciano Audisio reflects on how faith calls us to choose authentically, even if it involves conflict. Through the symbols of fire and water, Jesus invites us to let his love purify and renew our lives.
Conflict as a path to discernment
Today’s Gospel speaks to us about something that makes us uncomfortable: conflict. At times, faith does not lead us to agree with what “everyone” considers correct; at times, it distances us and forces us to take a different position. In the end, the whole Gospel is a path that trains us to choose, discern and decide based on to choose, discern and decide from the heart of God..
Jesus, the great Master, introduces us to this art using profoundly human symbols found in many cultures and religions: archetypes that cross the centuries.
Fire: symbol of transformation
The first symbol is fire. Choosing is like going through it: it purifies and transforms us. Jesus teaches nothing separate from himself; He is the fire that lights other fires, that illuminates and transforms life.
In Greek mythology, Prometheus steals fire from the gods to give it to men, not only as a tool, but also as a sacrificial element. Fire has always been a symbol of the passage to the sacred: it purifies like the crucible that refines metal into a work of art.
Therefore, when Jesus says, “I have come to cast fire on the earth” (Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν), He is speaking of the fire that is Himself, the only one capable of bringing us into full communion with the Father.
The water of baptism: dying and being reborn
The second symbol is water, the sign of baptism. Although fire and water seem to be opposites, they complement each other: both represent death and transformation.
In Greek, βάπτισμα(baptisma) meant not only “to wash,” but also “to die by immersion.” St. Paul associates this image with the Passover of Christ: to die and rise with Him.
Every choice we make in the life of faith is, in a way, a small Easter: to die to what does not allow us to live in fullness and to be reborn in Jesus. be reborn in Jesus.
Choosing our identity
The second part of the Gospel speaks of identity. To be ourselves, we must not be afraid to chooseeven if it hurts or separates us from others. Fidelity to the call of Jesus goes through decisions that transform us and that, many times, put us in tension with the established.
Nature and psychology remind us that we grow through difference. Yet we live in a society that fears true diversity and seeks to standardize everything, even in thought and faith.
The courage to be different
This Gospel is a message of hope and hope and courage. Jesus quotes Micah: “three against two and two against three” (τρεῖς ἐπὶ δυσὶν καὶ δύο ἐπὶ τρισίν), evoking the return from exile, when not everyone wanted to return to the freedom that God offered.
It happens today, too: not everyone desires the freedom of Christbecause it implies leaving security and daring to live differently.
Jesus’ invitation
The invitation is clear: to return from the exile of uniformityfrom imposed consensus, from fear of defending what we believe. Ignite in us the fire of Christ and allow ourselves to be renewed by the water of his Passover.
Every decision, no matter how small, can become a step towards true freedom. true freedomthat which is born only from choosing with Him and for Him.