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, so that we might speak with

love about the One who is love.

The Archdiocese of Chicago through the generosity of Sacred Heart Parishing Winnicka now presents

the Word on fire.

Peace be with you.

Friends in the Gospel for today, someone asked Jesus, which commandment is the greatest,

and he replied readily without hesitation, in the manner of a pious Jew by reciting the

Shema.

The Shema is a prayer derived from a passage in the sixth chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy.

The church, hopefully, couples that passage with our Gospel for today.

Here is the Shema, I'll say it in Hebrew, I'll say it probably the way Jesus would have

said it, Shema Yisrael, Adonai, Elohimu, Adonai Echad.

It means here, O Israel, the Lord our God is Lord alone.

This is the fundamental statement of Israelite religion.

Everything else is a footnote or commentary.

Israelites are those who believe in Yahweh, the One God.

And there follows from this basic belief a moral imperative, and here's how the Shema

...