Good morning, 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 Parishing Winnetka now presents the Word on Fire.

Peace be with you. Friends, I want to continue today with what I started last week, namely an exploration of the Book of Revelation, the Book of the Apocalypse.

Of course, in Greek, that just means the unveiling of Latin is Revelation, that's where our Word comes from.

Something in this great book is revealed to us, and in fact, I would say something of great importance.

As I mentioned last week, it's the last book in the Bible. God's last Word to us, if you will.

Many interpretations have been given. In recent years, as I mentioned, an awful lot of speculation about the end of the world.

The Book of Revelation telling us how and when the world will end.

I suggest that a better way to read it is that it's a book that reveals the truth, not just about the distant future, not just about the past, and not just about the present, but of all time.

Christ in this book is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and therefore what's revealed Christ's lordship over all of history is a message that we only need to hear as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago, and as relevant as it will be at the end of time.

Last week, we saw just the very beginning of the book, John the Apostle, the Beloved, now an old man on the island of Potmos, begins to receive a series of visions.

He sees the risen Christ, his face, luminous, that's Christ the light, you know, the light comes into the darkness and the darkness will not overcome it.

We find in the Gospel of John, in the face of Christ we see the light that illumines all things.

Secondly, a great sword comes from his mouth, that means the sword of God's word.

We will see now as this book unfolds, it's a book of battles, it's a book of wars, that's true, wars in heaven and wars on earth.

Christians all that means is, Christian life is itself a kind of warfare.

Inner, yes, against dark powers within us, but also exterior, exterior, we will be opposed when we stand for the word of God.

What happens next in the book now is a wonderful thing, it anticipates, I would say, what we do whenever we gather for the liturgy.

St. John receives a vision of the heavenly liturgy, let me read you a little bit from this part of the book of Revelation.

After this I had another vision, above me there was an open door to heaven, and I heard the trumpet-like voice which had spoken to me before.

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