Saturday of the Second Week of Advent Dec. 16th

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
December 16, 2006


“In those days, like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace.”
Sirach 48:1

**********************************************************************************

The single leading cause in atheism in the world today is Christians who profess Christ with their lips and walk out of the door and deny him by their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

Are you believable? Are you a fire burning in the dark? Are people hungering to know the light and warmth you emit? Is Christ on fire in you? Muriac said that when we no longer burn with love many will die of the cold. What would the world be like if we all burned with God’s love?

Are you believable? St. Catherine of Siena said, “When we are what we are supposed to be the whole world will be ABLAZE!" It sounds like Elijah was ablaze with fire. Do you think he got there by accident?

We do not accidentally become fire for God. Rather, we decide for it; we choose it; we plan it. It is not happenchance, luck or circumstance when we see someone like Elijah on fire with God. It is a whole life, including daily prayer that shouts out to God, “I need your fire. I have no light or warmth without you but with you I can shine more brightly than the sun. Fire me in your love. I don’t just want to think or philosophize or theologize about your fire. I want to become your fire!”

Being believable means being on fire. It means being irresistible because you are so full of light and warmth. It means moving from being a minimalist in your faith by just going to church every Sunday and confession once a year to an all out effort with all our hearts, minds and bodies to know fire.

Be fire and set the whole world ABLAZE!

Love is spelled T-I-M-E,
Fr. John