Word on Fire is brought to you by Catholic cemeteries, serving the Chicago area since 1837.

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, who 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, I want to talk to you today about sex.

Now that I have your attention, let me give this a little bit of background.

Our second reading for this week is from Paul's letter to the Romans. We've been reading from it now for the past several weeks.

It comes from the end of the letter, chapter 12, toward the end of the letter.

Paul is laying out for this little Christian community in Rome in the mid-first century.

He's laying out a vision of the Christian moral life.

The first part of the letter is all about justification, how we are set right with God in Jesus Christ, how we become friends of God again through the cross of Jesus.

But then Paul says, now we need to live consistently as the friends of the Lord.

So the moral life is laid out.

Paul does not drive a wedge, by the way, between justification and sanctification.

We're justified, and now we must live as people who are justified. We must become holy.

There's a line now from this reading.

I want to share with you because I think in many ways it sums up the Christian moral life. Listen.

I urge you, brothers and sisters, Paul says, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,

holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.

Let me read that again to you.

I urge you to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.

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