A cold world needs to be set on fire, and God calls us to do just that.
About twenty-two hundred years ago, between 164 and 152 B.C., Leonidas, a runner from Rhodes, broke the Olympic record by winning twelve gold medals. For centuries, no one surpassed him. Then, on Thursday, August 11, 2016, Michael Phelps swam into history. With thirteen consecutive gold medals, he overtook Leonidas’ ancient record. By the time he ended his Olympic career, he carried twenty-three golden wreaths, the greatest haul in Olympic history.
Naturally, people asked: what was his secret?
Some said it was his body, his unusually long torso, broad shoulders, and flexible limbs. Others pointed to his discipline, the countless hours he spent honing his craft. A few suggested sheer luck. Many believed his mental toughness gave him the edge.
Amy Shipley of The Washington Post once predicted that Phelps’ “exacting mental standards and preparation propel him beyond other swimmers.” She was right. Phelps did not just master the art of swimming but the psychology of speed and resilience. Watching him compete, you saw more than muscle. You saw zeal, drive, and a burning passion for excellence.
That passion is like fire.
The Fire of Passion
Leaders and coaches know the difference it makes when people burn with motivation. A motivated person is on fire, and fire ignites action.
Fire carries many meanings. In Southern California, wildfire sparks fear and devastation. Yet fire also purifies, serves as a prescribed burn to protect forests from uncontrolled spread, and transforms raw metals into something precious. It warms our meals and lights our homes.
In the spiritual life, fire becomes the symbol of God’s transforming love. When the heart blazes with God’s love, life itself begins to glow. Moses’ face shone after his mountain encounter with the Lord.
But fire is not only a symbol of purification; it is zeal, intensity, passion. When we say, there is fire in someone’s words, we mean their words carry conviction and life.
The Fire of Christ
No wonder Jesus speaks of fire. In Luke 12:49, he declares, “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!”
Just before this, he spoke of stewardship and the responsibility that comes with great trust. Then he revealed his mission: to ignite hearts with God’s fire; set the world on fire.
That fire was not an idea; it’s reality. Through Jesus’ crucifixion, the “baptism” he must undergo, and through Pentecost, he set the world on fire. The disciples were never the same. Nor is anyone who receives the Spirit.
The Fire of Love
Scripture calls this fire God’s burning love (Deuteronomy 4:24; Exodus 13:21-22). It is the love so deep that Christ gave his life for us (John 3:16; John 15:13).
The Fathers of the Church, namely Ambrose, Cyril of Alexandria, and John Chrysostom, saw it as purification. Saint Bede saw it in the tongues of flame at Pentecost. Saint Josemaría Escrivá called it “apostolic fire that acquires its strength in prayer” (Christ Is Passing By, 120). It is zeal for evangelization, the uncontainable urge to give everything for God.
A heart aflame never holds back. Like a mother who gives everything to her child, a soul on fire offers everything to God. Without fire, faith grows cold; with it, the Spirit carries us forward. We can give our all and move with courage in our mission of bearing witness. As Saint Paul writes, we keep “pressing on toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
Saint John Paul II called the Holy Spirit “the principal agent of mission” for good reason. The Spirit is the fire burning within us, urging us to go forth and testify with courage.
Blazing Against Evil
But this fire does not guarantee comfort. In a world chilled by indifference, the fire of love meets resistance. Jeremiah’s fiery words made him a public enemy. Hebrews 12:4 recalls the martyrdom that comes with faith on fire. Saint John of the Cross described it as the “dark night,” the crucible of God’s refining love.
Jesus warned us. This fire, though full of peace and grace, provokes division. Families split over it. Societies resist it. Believers suffer for it. Yet the answer is not to quench the fire.
Instead, we keep it burning. We let the fire of love consume hate. We let the fire of grace challenge apathy and let the fire of righteousness blaze against evil.
The fire of love is what Christ came to kindle. And it is the fire we must keep alive.
Set the world on fire. I am in for it. Aren’t you?
God love you. God bless you.
