27 September 2022
Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
In the Gospel passage today, James and John are incensed that the Samaritans (who had a bit of a rocky relationship with the Jews) refused to welcome Jesus. Their anger is likely borne out of a holy zeal and love for their Lord, but it is also shortsighted and misguided. As such, Jesus rebukes them when they ask Him for permission to punish the Samaritans by calling down fire from heaven. The wisdom and patience of God is so far beyond the comprehension of humankind and Jesus knows that the hour will come when the Samaritans would be reconciled to Him.
In the aftermath of the Resurrection, this situation with the Samaritans takes an interesting twist when John comes back to see them with Peter after hearing that they had accepted the Gospel (Acts 8:14-17). At that time, John and Peter laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. It’s incredibly beautiful to realize that in this way, John’s original request to call down fire from heaven and consume them was actually fulfilled but in a way modified by God for the good of all parties involved. Rather than acting out of indignation, John acts out of love. A fire from heaven does indeed come to consume the Samaritans, but it comes as a consuming fire of love and mercy that enlivens rather than destroying.
Even presuming that their original intentions were righteous, we see that the perception and motives of James and John were so much more limited and temporal than those of God. Likewise, we realize that the outcome of their original proposal would have resulted only in fruitless destruction whereas the plan of God accomplished a fullness of redemption and reconciliation beyond their imagining. Reflecting on this, let us pray for the grace to respond with patience and humility to difficult situations and to be mindful of the ways that God calls us to labor with Him for the long-term good of all.