You're listening to a podcast by the Center for Action and Contemplation.

To learn more, visit cac.org.

The Lord be with you.

A reading from the Holy Gospel has written to us by Luke.

And Jesus said to his disciples,

I have come to set fire on the earth and how I wish it were already blazing.

There is a baptism with which I must still be baptized and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished.

Do you think that I have come to establish just peace on earth?

No.

I tell you actually, at least first of all, division.

From now on, a household of five will be divided,

three against two and two against three. A father will be divided against his son, a son against his father, a mother against her daughter, a daughter, her daughter against her mother a mother in law against her

daughter in law and a daughter in law against your mother in law.

Isn't that exciting? But nevertheless, this is the Gospel of the Lord.

You're all wondering what's he going to do with that.

Well, let's approach it this way and actually it allows me to draw all three readings together

under a general term. There's two kinds of religion. There's ascending religion and there's descending religion.

Ascending is about trying to be more perfect, more pure, superior to other people, right.

And that's, believe it or not, the religion people prefer.

We like a religion of moral and righteous superiority. That's why there's been so many

religious wars in history. Then there's descending religion. And this is about letting go, forgiving, being poor and simple,

being a part of the community

...