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

perishing Winnicka now presents the Word on Fire. Peace be with you. Friends, I'm curious about

Jesus that we probably don't remark on as much as we should. Jesus was, for one of a better term,

a layman, a layperson. There were more explicitly religious people in Jesus' time.

Think of the Essenes. The Essenes were many prototypes of monks. These were Jews that went off to

distant sequestered places to live a life of intense prayer and austerity far from the world.

In fact, the Dead Sea scrolls they found many decades ago now were part of an Essen community.

Some say John the Baptist, with his austere style in life, might have been an Essen.

There were Pharisees in Jesus' time. These were official religious people,

keepers of the law. Their purpose was to circulate among the ordinary people and encourage

this strict following of Jewish law. There were scribes and priests of the temple.

People whose job was to propagate the scriptures of the Jewish people to perform sacrifice in the

temple. They were explicitly religious types. You also found rabbis in the towns. These were

formally trained people, usually working with another rabbi, learning the scriptures,

and their purpose was to help the people live the religious life.

Well, and I think about Jesus was, he was none of these. He wasn't like the Essenes. In fact,

he moved rather freely among the people in a very ordinary way. He didn't wear distinctive

dress or garb. He wasn't a Pharisee. In fact, he's often critical of the Pharisees for their

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