Kindling

“I come to light a fire on this earth, and how I wish that it were kindled.” Luke 12: 49. The Fire that Jesus came to bring, of course, was this Perfect Love, even of one's enemies. It entails, and it encompasses everything else, empathy, compassion, understanding, equality, justice, respect for all creatures, human and otherwise. St. Francis was known to stop to pick up the tiniest bug in a road and carry it across before a horse or carriage could crush it. “The Fire” Jesus meant was the Revolution of Love, whereby all would see themselves as one family under one God, where the rich would work to bridge the giant gap between them and the poor. This was the “fire” in the belly, the soul, of Dr. King. When Pete Seeger went to march with him, they both understood that children would be the main ingredients of the dream ever coming true. It was from seeing fearless children in the march that Mr. Seeger added, “We are not afraid” to the anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”