This is Cardinal Francis George. I invite you to join me for the next two minutes to reflect

with Father Robert Barron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire. Word on Fire Catholic

Ministries is a non-profit ministry at the forefront of Catholic evangelization, using

new media to spread the faith and every continent. Father Barron challenges us to open our hearts

to the Word on Fire, which is God's Word of Love for each of us. If our hearts are open,

the Lord can change and transform us so that we might speak with love about the one who

is love. The global benefactors of Word on Fire with the support of the Archdiocese of

Chicago now present Word on Fire. Peace be with you. Friends, their line from Luke's Gospel

for today is one of my favorites in the New Testament. In fact, it provided the inspiration

for the name of the show, the Word on Fire. Listen, I have come to cast fire upon the earth.

How I wish it were already kindled. There's the Lord Jesus speaking. I've come to cast fire

upon the earth. This line tells us so much about Jesus and about his mission. You know,

especially since the Vatican Council, there's been a tendency in Catholic circles to underplay

the fiercer, more challenging aspects of the Biblical revelation. The God who is without exception,

kind, gentle, inclusive, and compassionate is brought forward for our consideration. But friends,

whether we like it or not, whether it fits into our present sensibilities or not, this is not

to be true to the whole of the Biblical witness. The Biblical God of both testaments, by the

way, is indeed kind, gentle, compassionate, and also fierce, demanding, frightening, and

judgmental. Now, that last word I know in our culture, that's the one vice that we just

think is unacceptable. We let people do almost anything. It's up to you. You decide what

you want to do. But the one thing you can't be is judgmental. Well, there might be true

of our culture. It ain't true of the Bible. God is extremely judgmental. The statement of

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