Anna Maria was the eldest daughter of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. She had a short life, 17 years. Like her father, Anna Maria died of tuberculosis. Of St. Elizabeth Ann’s five children, Anna Maria was one of the two who died in her lifetime. Anna Maria learned to love the Lord from her mother.

In a letter Anna Maria wrote to a friend two years before she died, she wrote the following: “He [Jesus] is like a fire that always burns in the very center of our souls; yet are we cold? Because we do not stay close to him. Oh, our Jesus! When?” Anna Maria Seton is in truth. The Lord is the very fire of the Holy Spirit, the very fire of the Word of God.

In today's Gospel reading, the Lord says these words that always strike and challenge us: "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!" The fire the Lord speaks of is the Holy Spirit. This fire is the Word of God, specifically the Gospel. This fire is, as Anna Maria Seton wrote, the Lord himself.

The Lord came to bring the fire of the Holy Spirit, which He desires to burn in our hearts. This fire has been given to us in Baptism and Confirmation. The natural element of fire burns. The Holy Spirit burns away all human misery, all self-interest, all sin. Thus, the Holy Spirit transforms us from within, regenerates us, and makes us capable of love. Pope Francis said, “Jesus wants the Holy Spirit to blaze like fire in our hearts, for it is only from the heart that the fire of divine love can spread and advance the Kingdom of God.”

The fire the Lord speaks of is the Word of God, the Gospel. The Gospel is like a fire because it is a message that, when proclaimed, does not leave things as they are; it changes them. The Gospel provokes change and conversion. Today's Gospel reading is paired with a reading from the prophet Jeremiah. The Jewish leaders tried to kill the prophet for the message he preached, which was the Word of God. In the Gospel, the Lord speaks of bringing division. The proclamation of the Gospel brings division. On one hand, those who accept it, change their lives. On the other hand, those who do not accept it, remain in sin.

In short, the fire the Lord came to bring is the Lord himself. The Lord and the Holy Spirit are the same; they are God. The Lord and the Gospel are the same; He is the Word of God made flesh.

The Lord invites us today to receive him, to receive the fire of his Word and the fire of the Holy Spirit. Anna Maria Seton wondered how, having the fire of the Lord in the very center of our souls, we become cold? She replied, "Because we do not stay close to him." I invite you to seek closeness to him. Let us allow the Lord to preach His Word in our hearts. Let us read passages from the Gospel and reflect on them each day. Let us allow ourselves to be "burned" by the fire of His Word.

I invite you to seek the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and spend time in Adoration. As I announced last Sunday, on Friday, September 5, we will have 20 hours of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. We have sign-up forms in the Gathering Area. We need at least two committed adorers for each hour of Exposition. This Solemn Exposition marks the 50th anniversary of the canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

St. Elizabeth Ann was a soul ablaze with the love of God. For her, the Lord was like a fire that always burned in the very center of her soul. Let us humbly ask the Lord to give us His grace to approach Him with faith so that His fire may burn away all our sins and transform us from within, making us capable of love.