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 Baron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire.

Father Baron 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 in Winnicka now presents the Word on Fire.

Peace be with you.

Friends, our first reading for this week is a little snippet from the book of Deuteronomy,

and expresses a hope that was deeply ingrained in the consciousness of the Jewish people of Jesus' time.

In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses is speaking to the people, and listen to this.

He says, a prophet like me, will the Lord your God raise up for you from among your own kinsmen, and to him you shall listen.

Now, here's what's powerful about this.

Moses was the most authoritative figure in the Old Testament tradition, because he spoke face to face with God as a friend.

You know, other figures from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph all heard the voice of God, or received some kind of communication from God,

but Moses was the one in the book of Exodus and other places who spoke with God as a friend,

recovering the original innocence of Adam who walked with God in easy friendship.

This intimacy with God gave Moses and his words an enormous authority.

In fact, an authority beyond any other scribe or religious leader or prophet, in fact their authority was derived from his.

They were commenting on the words of Moses, but here's the strange thing.

Moses himself now in the book of Deuteronomy seems to indicate there's someone even more authoritative coming.

Someone who will be more than the friend of God, but someone who will speak the very words of God,

God will place his words in the mouth of this spokesperson.

So right within the Jewish tradition itself is planted this puzzling, interesting, intriguing expectation

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