Episode 2166: Be Strange and Set the World on Fire

Your podcast yesterday, Igniting the Soul, got me thinking about a few things that I knew I needed to write about. There are two things in particular you mentioned that really resonated with me.

The first was when you quoted St. Ignatius who said, “Go forth and set the world on fire.” You added later that we should set the world on fire with our faith. I am learning more and more that the best way to do this is through our actions. Anyone can talk a good game, but it really comes down to the old adage, you can talk the talk but do you walk the walk?

As someone who is on the journey of what I am calling “being Catholic the second time around,” I fully admit that I am doing my best to talk the talk and walk the walk. A friend of mine once said in reference to sticking to a workout routine - if it was easy, everyone would be doing it. So too with living the Gospel and our true Catholic faith. It is NOT easy to detach ourselves, as you mentioned, from the world’s distractions and it is getting even more difficult as the distractions of today seem to multiply at a breakneck speed, coming at us from all angles.

So back to setting the world on fire. All fires start with a flame and how fitting that you would use this quote during the week following Pentecost (see? I am paying more attention the second time around). Again, in reference to what you said, the flame of our faith is all that we need to set the world on fire. Is it daunting to think about the entire world? Yes, but we can’t let that stop us.

We used to sing a song at school masses called, “Go Light Your World,” (written by Chris Rice and performed by Kathy Troccoli), and while high school students usually didn’t sing at Mass, they would ALL sing this song and I always found that beautiful. It’s the main line in the chorus though that I want to point out and that is, “Take your candle and go light your world,” mind you, it’s YOUR candle and YOUR world. So in setting the world on fire with our faith we all need to start with our own “worlds” meaning our families, our friends, our communities.

How do we do that? For me it happened without even realizing it. For example, I have discovered a separate beauty and peace in saying the nightly rosary with our group as often as I can, and for being at our weekly Novena for Our Lady of Perpetual Help. I feel that I have found a voice again, a more focused voice, in my writing, which you are gracious enough to let me share on your podcast And in attending the traditional Latin mass and sharing the experience - all these things that people see and hear me do - are like a small flame that burns brighter as my faith life intensifies and as I grow closer to God. So ultimately it comes down to you; to us as individuals. Because you have to understand that setting the world on fire or taking your candle to light your world means you’re putting yourself and your faith out there - boldly. And as we know from the lives of our saints, living your faith and proclaiming the Word of God is not for the faint of heart.

And just a side note to others who are on a similar journey, I feel like I have been the proverbial sponge - soaking up, learning as much as possible. I can attest to being overwhelmed at times, because there is so much to learn and know, and I sometimes find myself immersed in multiple readings and topics. That’s when I have to refocus and remember what I am trying to do. And I usually am able to refocus by making time for quiet time, again, something you mentioned - and that is usually through prayer or reflection. Which can I also add - listening to your podcasts are an excellent way to learn, reflect or become inspired.

The second thing you said in your podcast is that in being consumed with God we may seem strange to others and then you added, “Be strange!”

I remember I wore a button on my DePaul jacket back in my college days (before social media when people wore buttons to express their individuality and personal opinions). This button simply stated, “Why be normal?” Ha, ha. I thought I was being so unique - such an individual, right? Calling attention to the fact that I thought of myself as “not normal” - what did that even mean?!
However when I heard you say, “Be strange!,” in reference to being consumed by God, that button, which I had long forgotten, came to my mind. It’s really the same thing, isn’t it? We could all wear buttons that say, “Be Strange!” and people would wonder what that phrase could possibly mean. I’m sure many who saw me sporting my “Why be normal?” button read it and just shook their heads in indifference or confusion. No one ever asked me what it meant or why I wore it (only my friends understood my quirkiness). Only today a button just wouldn’t cut it. We have the opportunity, and need to seize the opportunity, to “be strange” in a way that should cause others to take notice; to wonder, to be curious. And I have to believe that the disciples of Jesus endured this very thing.

When you really take the time to think about these people, people who left their lives behind to follow a man no one knew; who taught and preached about God and His kingdom, about faith, hope and love and how to live their lives for God - I’m sure they were most definitely viewed as “being strange” but they did it anyway. And I’ll bet it certainly caused others to wonder.

Now, what I am doing today certainly cannot be compared to the lives of the disciples of Jesus, but we can draw an analogy as we look at our lives today in 2024. Two thousand years later and we live in a society where people are afraid to talk about their true Catholic faith and their love for God for fear of being thought of as strange?!?!

In 2024, we live in a world where people can literally do and act and believe anything they want and post it on social media and it is accepted as today’s norm. So why are some of us still afraid to show our faith and love for God? I admire you, Walt, for not being afraid to do so and I hope and pray that one day I will be able to express my love and beliefs as openly and as freely as you do.

One of the reasons why I struggle is because I am still learning the true facts, the pre-Vatican II Catholic faith - so I have to be careful with how I “talk the talk,” as I don’t want to speak out of turn. But thanks to you I am learning how freeing it has been to disclose what I have experienced so far. I truly hope that I am showing others through my actions that my faith is growing and deepening in a way that I never imagined; in a way that causes at least a few to be curious and wonder if maybe they aren’t missing something in their own lives too, the way I did just one year ago.

So let that be my mantra - “Be strange and set the world on fire!” And who knows, in doing so you may just be going out and converting somebody!