I gotta tell you – I am so into this football season. As of this writing, the Eagles are one of two teams in the NFL undefeated at 4-0!! I am really fired up for this season, and I know I’m not alone.
About a month ago, my family went to see the Phillies play the Yankees in Yankee Stadium. There were a lot of people there wearing Phillies red. On the way out after the game – which we lost, by the way – on at least three separate occasions you could hear the chant, “E A G L E S – Eagles,” much to the ire of the Yankees fans. But, man, that enthusiasm is infectious.
Have you ever tailgated in the parking lot before a game? The energy, the excitement, the intensity, the anticipation is just unrivaled.
Of course sports isn’t the only spark that ignites exhilarating fandom.
Any Taylor Swift fans out there? Swifties? When she appeared on the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” podcast to announce her new album, Jason and Travis Kelce had more than half a billion views. Talk about zeal. Plus, did you know that she has more than 280 million followers on Instagram alone?
In contrast, Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, has a little over 13 million followers on Instagram.
When have we ever heard a spontaneous “J E S U S – Jesus!” chant?
Where is our infectious enthusiasm for our faith? Where is our excitement, our intensity, our zeal for what, in practice, should be the most important thing in our lives?
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Jesus is wishing for a divine fire in the hearts of his disciples. He wants to inspire a divine fire in us that blazes with faith and love and action.
Where is our fire?
Our fire was ignited on the day of our Baptism, when we received the light of Christ in the form of our baptismal candle. Further, the Holy Spirit was sent into our hearts at Confirmation to help set our hearts on fire for Christ.
However, a fire will smolder and die out unless it is fed.
The Sacraments – especially the Eucharist – prayer, Scripture, and spending more time with our Catholic community are the fuel that sustains the flame. Without them, infectious enthusiasm of faith will fade, and we risk settling into lukewarmness or even becoming a closet Catholic.
It’s like when I was young, middle-school aged, and all my friends were into bands like Van Halen or Aerosmith or Led Zeppelin. I liked them, too, but I also really liked the Carpenters and Barry Manilow. I was a secret fan because I feared admitting it would result in ridicule.
Do we avoid talking about our faith for the same reason, or does our daily dialogue with God set our heart on fire? Do we let the Holy Spirit encourage us to share our faith joyfully to others, with the same zeal?
Let’s allow Jesus Christ to become a blaze roaring in our hearts, and look to the Holy Spirit for the gifts of fortitude and perseverance. These gifts strengthen us to stand up to a society that is often counter to Christian values.
Let’s tend our fires with discipline and love. Let’s keep our divine fire burning brightly with energy, excitement, enthusiasm and an intensity unrivaled by any fandom we enjoy, inflaming us to share our faith with others through words and actions, to find ways to serve our community and those in need, to forgive and show mercy to one another, to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Saint John of the Cross said, “When the soul is touched by God, it burns with the fire of divine love.” God doesn’t light a fire in us just to keep us warm. He lights it so we can ignite others.
Deacon Dean Johnson serves at Church of the Holy Family, Sewell.
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