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The Labor Day weekend signifies change. Temperatures thankfully start to cool off. The calendar changes from August to September. Traditional schools have begun or will soon begin their classes. But we learn something else might also be changing in the air.

This weekend’s gospel tells of someone asking Jesus, “will only a few people be saved?” We might wonder what he means by “saved”. The Greek word which the gospels use for “saved” (sozo) refers to healing or deliverance in both a physical and spiritual way. It encompasses salvation from danger, sickness, death, evil spirits or sin. In the rest of the New Testament, it usually refers to spiritual salvation. In today’s passage Jesus does not answer the question of “how many;” rather, He focuses on the “how”. “Strive to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13: 24), he says, implying that to do so will take some effort on our part.

Currently there are at least three wildfires burning in Colorado covering about 127,000 acres (as of this writing on August 11). So it may seem like a puzzling time to reflect on the words of Jesus in this weekend’s Gospel: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing” (Luke 12:49). Does Jesus really want the whole earth to go up in flames? We need not take the Lord literally here. Fire is used throughout the Bible as a symbol of God’s mysterious dynamic presence; of God’s guidance and love; of God’s judgment on sinners; and of divine purification. While all these descriptions have their place in the mind of God and in salvation history, today I would turn our attention to another image of fire. The flame of the Baptismal candle is referred to as “the flame of faith” which must be kept burning brightly until the Lord returns. This last image best suits our purposes today as we reflect upon our Stewardship of Faith.

Whenever I fly on a plane, I’ll look into the cockpit on the way to my seat. No, I’m not hoping the pilot will invite me to take over the controls. I’ll want to get a glimpse of the person I’m putting my life into his or her hands. Because I have flown a lot, I have placed my trust in the pilots. I’m sure you have placed your trust in someone or something. Perhaps it is someone you trust with your life or how about when you’re driving and you put your trust in your vehicle to protect you from harm. I think you would agree trust is something that’s earned over time. Now another word for trust is faith. Faith is derived from the Latin word “fides” meaning confidence or trust in a person, thing or concept.

This weekend, Jesus, St. Paul, the Psalmist, and the writer of Ecclesiastes all call us to reevaluate whether we are focusing our efforts on the real goal, and the greater storyline, or if we are giving our lives to side quests. How much time, effort, and resources do we spend on our eternal relationship with God, as opposed to things that will be of no use to us when we die?