The Burning One

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that He has come to cast fire upon the earth and also that He has not come for peace but for division.  Such surprising statements!  Did He not also say that He did come to give us peace?  Ah yes, but with an important qualification.  He told us that the peace He would give would not be “as the world gives”.  Most often this worldly peace is what we earnestly desire and is the object of our most fervent prayer.  We want our lives to be free of trouble and distress on all levels.  We beg for good health, financial security, tranquility in our families, justice in our government, happiness for our loved ones.  These are all good, worthy blessings and it is likewise good and worthy to pray for them.  Yet one cannot live long in this valley of tears before it becomes evident that peace of this sort is short-lived.  There is always a new trouble waiting for us just over the horizon.

On the contrary, the peace which Jesus gives comes with the fire he has cast on the earth.  It was kindled on Calvary and burns in the hearts of everyone who bears their own cross as Jesus bore His.  Peace arises in the midst of pain borne in loving obedience to the Father’s will.  It is awesome to see it.  We all know people who by the grace of God are unconquered by immense suffering.  They are like the bush Moses saw on Sinai that burns but is not consumed.  They challenge us to confront our own fear of suffering and lack of trust in the sovereignty of a God who orders all things to the good for those who love Him.  A Sister expresses this thought in her poetry:

The Burning One

Burning upon a Sinai height
As in the bush that Moses saw,
I, unconsuming Flame, ignite
Your animosity and awe.

Remove the sandals from your feet!
The ground you tread though hard is holy.
You are before a judgement seat.
My ruddy light reveals you wholly.

I gleam like the glowing chestnut trees
Glinting against a fall blue sky,
In the soul tormented, a man on his knees
Who strikes a spark from his flinty "Why?"

I blaze like the sun reflecting wave
Roughened by the rolling springtime wind
In the eyes of a woman abused yet brave
Whose tears outshine the heinous sin.

Deny the mystery, if you dare,
Or accept the unconsuming fire.
This flame that leaps from life's despair
Will cauterize your core desire.