Word on Fire is brought to you by Catholic Cemetery's, serving the Chicago area since 1837, and FSP dedicated to food service excellence.

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 until we might speak with love about the one who is love.

The Archdiocese of Chicago through the generosity of Sacred Heart Parishing Winnetka now presents the Word on Fire.

Peace be with you.

Friends are reading for this second Sunday of Lent, our first reading.

Is one of the most powerful, difficult, puzzling, richest in the Scripture.

We have to spend some time with this challenging reading, because in many ways it cuts right to the heart of what biblical faith is about.

It's the story of Abraham's sacrifice of his son Isaac.

They say that for the Old Testament scholars and commentators, after the story of the Exodus, this was the story.

What I mean is this was the story that somehow summed it up.

The commentator has spent years and years meditating on the meaning of this story.

It's outlines are familiar to us.

Let me read just a little bit from this 22nd chapter of Genesis.

God put Abraham to the test.

He called to him, Abraham, ready, he replied.

Then God said, take your son Isaac, your only one whom you love, and go to the land of Mariah.

There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you.

The story is told in a typically biblical manner, which is to say, with a kind of devastating understatement.

God says, take your son, mind you, your only son, your beloved son, push it further.

The one whom I gave you as a great promise.

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