This is Cardinal Francis George, and I invite you to join me for the next few minutes to

reflect with Father Robert Barron on the Word of God, which is the Word on fire.

Father Barron will challenge 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 Archdiocese of Chicago through the generosity of Sacred Heart Parish and Winetka now presents

the Word on fire.

Peace be with you.

Friends, archaeologists in recent years have made a rather interesting discovery, but not

too far from Jesus' boyhood town of Nazareth.

There was a Roman town called Sephirus.

We didn't even know about Sephirus until pretty recently.

Judging from the evidence that we can gather, Sephirus was a busy, pretty big, lively place.

Most likely, across roads, where people from a lot of different cultures and language

groups came together and mingled for entertainment and for business purposes.

Well just a few miles away is his little town of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up.

One of the few things the Gospels tell us about Joseph, Jesus' foster father, is that

he was a tecton.

Tecton is usually translated as carpenter, but scholars suggest it might have a somewhat

broader sense.

Tecton could mean a craftsman, a skilled worker of some kind, not a farmer, but someone who

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