Dead Man Walking
(Jer.38:4-6; 8-10; Heb.12:1-4; 8-19; Lk.12:49-53)
It seems hard to believe that Jesus would ever say he’s come to set fire to our world, let alone cause division rather than peace. Yet that’s exactly what he does in today’s Gospel.
It’s tempting to try to soften these words. After all, isn’t Jesus the Prince of Peace? Didn’t the angels sing ‘Peace on Earth’ at his birth?
Yes, but not peace at any price. Jesus didn’t come to promote a false peace, one that avoids conflict by quietly hiding the truth or overlooking evil.
The fire Jesus came to bring is the fire of love, the fire of truth, and the fire that can divide but also purify and heal when it addresses an injustice.
There’s a good example of this fire at work in Tim Robbins’ movie Dead Man Walking. It’s based on the true story of Sister Helen Prejean.
Sr Helen is a sister of the Congregation of St Joseph and a tireless advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in the United States. In 1993 she wrote a powerful book detailing her experience as a spiritual advisor to two men on Louisiana’s death row.
In 1995, her book became a movie starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. It tells the story of how Sr Helen accompanies one convicted murderer to his execution. She chooses to walk with him, not to excuse his crimes, but to help him face the truth, and to encounter the possibility of mercy.
This causes great division. The victims’ families and even some Church members are outraged that she gave him any support at all. ‘How can you comfort someone like him?’ they ask. ‘Aren’t you on the wrong side?’
But Sr Helen isn’t choosing sides. She’s choosing Christ. And sometimes Jesus divides us, not to destroy, but to save. Sr Helen brings the fire of truth and mercy into a place of hatred and shame. That fire hurts, but it also saves.
Jesus’ words today are not about violence or vengeance. They’re about the division that can happen when we stand for truth and love in a world that too often prefers comfort and convenience.
This division can occur when we choose to forgive rather than seek revenge, or when we refuse to gossip or participate in an injustice.
It can also happen when someone stands for life and the dignity of the poor, or when someone speaks out against cruelty, racism or violence.
They may lose friendships, and even family bonds may be tested. But that division isn’t meant to destroy relationships. It’s meant to expose the false peace for which we too often settle, and it opens the way for real reconciliation, grounded in truth.
Jesus says, ‘I’ve come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!’ But what is this fire?
It’s the fire of the Holy Spirit, which is the flame of conversion, justice, and mercy. This is the fire that burns away our selfishness, refines our intentions and warms the cold parts of our hearts. This isn’t the fire of destruction. It’s the fire of transforming love.
So, what does all this mean for us today?
Most of us hate conflict and try to avoid anything that might cause division. But some divisions are necessary and some are holy.
Ask yourself: do I try to ‘keep the peace’ by avoiding something that deep down I know I should be doing?
Am I hiding an important truth for the sake of comfort?
Is Jesus calling me to take a stand, even if it makes me unpopular or uncomfortable?
Jesus doesn’t divide for the sake of destruction. He divides to make us whole.
Sr Helen Prejean has long argued that the death penalty is not only morally flawed, but incompatible with the Christian call to mercy, reconciliation, and human dignity.
She chose to enter a place that most people would run from – a prison cell. But by doing that, she brought a soul closer to salvation.
This is precisely what Jesus did. He walked into our broken world, full of fire and mercy. He, too, caused division as many people objected to his presence. But Jesus didn’t come to affirm our false peace. He came to save us, to give us hope.
Today, let’s pray that we will have the courage to welcome Jesus’ spiritual fire into our lives, burning away all that is empty and false.
May we be filled with the fire of God’s love.
May we accept the truth that sets us free.