Today,
the Gospel presents us with Jesus as a person of great ambition.
“I have come to bring fire upon the earth
and how I wish it were already kindled.” Jesus would like to see the fire
of charity and virtue already burning. He also refers, almost in passing, the
fact that he has to undergo a baptism, that is, a trial of the Cross, a trial
of fire, and He feels great anguish until it is all over. It is only natural,
Jesus has plans, and he is in a hurry to see them accomplished. We could say
that he has a “Divine Impatience.” We also have ideas and projects, and we
would also like to see them fulfilled right away. Time gets in the way. “What anguish I feel until it is over!”
It is the stress of life. It
is the anxiety anyone with great projects feels. On the other hand, having no
desires is like remaining at a standstill, dead, restrained; it is being sad,
embittered, as being one who derives pleasure from reprehending those who
actually work. People who are moving and cause others to move, who are progressing
and cause others to progress, are ambitious people.
Have great aspirations! Train
your goals onward and upward! Seek your personal perfection, that of your
family, that of your work, that of your deeds, that of the assignments you
receive. The saints have always aspired to the highest goals. They have not
been afraid to face efforts and stress. They have moved. Carry on, move too!
Remember St. Augustine’s words: “If you
say enough you are lost. Go further, keep going. Don’t stay in the same place, don’t
go back, don’t go off the road. Who does not move forward, stops; who keeps
thinking of the starting point, goes backwards; he who reneges goes off the
road. It is better to limp along that way than to stride along some other
route.” And he adds: “In wanting to
be what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. For
where you are pleased with yourself there you have stopped. Keep adding, keep
walking, keep advancing.” Are you advancing or have you stopped?
Implore the help of the
Blessed Virgin, to help you, for she is the Mother of Hope – Mary Immaculate!
“I
have come to bring fire upon the earth.”
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