Let’s talk about fire and water, and I’m not talking about the Pokemon types. In the gospel for this Sunday, Saint John the Baptist says that he will baptize with water, but Christ will baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. Fire represents life, but it also represents death. Same with water. When the Israelites went through the Red Sea, water was life-giving. The Egyptians went through the same Red Sea, and the water brought them death. Saint John the Baptist is saying that it’s up to us how we live our lives, how much we give our hearts to Jesus, reveals whether we are choosing life or are choosing death.
We’re getting close to Christmas. It’s game time. Time to choose. Whose side are you on? The side of life or the side of death? I think we know the right choice. This is Spirit Juice. Peace.
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Reject Isolation
At the end of Marvel’s “Infinity War,” Thanos sits alone on a planet alone. And you may think that it’s paradise, but it’s hell. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus says clearly, “What does it profit one if he gains the whole world “but loses his life? “Loses his soul?” Thanos gets everything he wants. He receives the Gauntlet. He gets the Infinity Stones. He wins the war…
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Stop Social Climbing
Stop social climbing. That should be the tagline for this Sunday’s gospel. Jesus is saying that, trying to gain social status, trying to reach the highest seat, which we will never truly satisfy. Jesus is saying, Your identity is in me. When we forget about our identity in Jesus, that’s when we try to gain status. That’s when we try to find love in all of the wrong places. And so Jesus says, “Stop doing that and see me….
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Mercy That Moves First
What if mercy isn’t passive, but moving toward you?
In the Divine Mercy image, Jesus isn’t just standing still, He’s stepping forward, coming toward us. His mercy is active, not distant. Even when we turn away, even when we sin, He doesn’t wait for us to make the first move, He comes after us.
That’s the heart of who Jesus is. A love that pursues, a mercy that moves, and a Savior who never stops coming toward you.
