This is Cardinal Francis George. 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. Word on Fire Catholic

Ministries is a non-profit ministry at the forefront of Catholic evangelization, using

new media to spread the faith and every continent. Father Barron challenges 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 global benefactors of Word on Fire with the support of the Archdiocese of

Chicago now present Word on Fire. Peace be with you and happy new year. We've come to the

beginning of the new liturgical year and what an extraordinary commencement we have with

these startling readings. We are as it were slapped in the face with Luke's version of Jesus'

apocalyptic speech concerning the end of all things. They say, what a way to begin now our

preparation for Christmas. You want something a little gentler, I suppose. But no, we get a pretty

hard message now as the year begins. Listen now to Jesus. There will be signs in the sun, the moon,

and the stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish. Men will die of fright in anticipation of

what is coming on the earth. The powers in the heavens will be shaken. Extraordinary, isn't it?

It's a kind of unraveling of Genesis. In the beginning, God drew order out of chaos,

setting the sun and moon gently in the sky, distinguishing the dry land from the sea,

putting our first parents in a peaceful garden. That beautiful imagery from Genesis is now as it

were undone. Jesus predicts the reversal of all this. The sun and moon will be shaken. The earth

will rock and waves overwhelm the dry land. Political order will collapse, nation against nation.

But then, in the midst of the chaos, he says, the sun of man will come on a cloud with great power

and glory. Well, what in the world do we make of all this? And why is the church offering

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