Colleen Orchanian

Hebrews 12:29 tells us that God is a consuming fire. Is it like that for you? Do you want it to be?

When I think about the saints, in every instance, God was a consuming fire for them. Even today, there are living, everyday people in your parish and community for whom God is a consuming fire.

What does that mean? It means that God is the center of their lives. They serve Him. They obey Him. They live for Him. They die for Him. They are so close to Him that they have become one with Him. Nothing else matters but God.

That sounds like something I can't have. I think (know) that I am not holy enough. But maybe that's a lie of the enemy because I can feel the fire of the Holy Spirit in my life. He inspires me in my writing, guides me in spiritual direction, gives me patience when I get frustrated, grants me consolations when I read His holy Word. I have the fire of God in me.

It has not always been that way. For many years, I was drifting, staying far from God. The fire that was lit in my baptism and kindled in my Confirmation was fading out. I followed the ways of the world, fell into habitual sin, and ignored God. I didn't realize that my heart had gone cold.

But God is an awesome God. He waited for the right time and then rekindled the fire in my soul. And he did it perfectly. My way, if I wanted to set a soul on fire, would be to throw some fuel on it to get a huge flame. But that doesn't work very well.

Isaiah tells us, "A dimly burning wick He will not quench." There are a lot of dimly burning wicks in the world. People we know who have just a little spark. How do you change a spark into a blazing fire? Isn't that what we all want to do for those we love?

When you want to start a fire, you begin with some kindling—pieces of paper and small twigs. A spark can light them up, but they can easily go out. You have to blow gently on the kindling so that it catches the big log on fire. That takes time. If the kindling burns out before the log catches fire, you have to start again.

Here's where I have been known to put the fire out. I don't want to wait. I want to throw a huge log on the fire, and I expect that will get things blazing. It might blaze for a short time, but not for very long. Jesus was so good about fanning the flames without dousing people with a can of fuel.

In Luke 12:49, we read these words of Jesus: "I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!" The Holy Spirit had to come and kindle the fire at Pentecost.

How is your fire?

• A burning wick. It can be snuffed out at any time. I was a burning wick for 20 years. But there were people who were keeping it burning. Friends who invited me to church even though I always said no. Parents and siblings who prayed for me. Believing friends who lived their faith without apology and became a light to me. These patient souls were with me while I ignored God, and I am grateful for them.

• Kindling. That's when we are burning but not yet aflame. It looks good for a short time, but doesn't seem to catch fire. Maybe it keeps burning out because we focus on the quick burn of paper without allowing a log to start burning. I want to feel good on Sunday morning, but I don't allow it to go deep enough into my soul to transform me the rest of the week. This can be a superficial faith based on emotions, but that isn't enough. We shouldn't settle for that. God has much more for us.

• Steady fire. We have a vibrant prayer life. We take advantage of the sacraments. We serve God as He calls us to. We live our faith every day. It's a part of who we are. We are developing a Christian worldview, where we see things not as the world does, but as God does. We add logs to the fire as we need it. Those logs are the retreats, podcasts, movies, and things that bring us closer to God. It's how we serve God and the communities of faith-filled people we spend time with. That's how we keep the fire burning brightly.

• Waning fire. We have neglected our spiritual life or fallen into sin, and now our faith is dry. It seems to be dying out. We need to find out why and throw another log on the fire. We have to pay attention to our spiritual lives. I have seen this happen when someone gets very involved in church. They give everything, and it's great in the beginning. But at some point, they find themselves overwhelmed and burnt out. They might drop everything out of frustration or discouragement. They wonder if the fire they remembered was ever real, or if it was just imagined. This is a time of spiritual attack, and we have to fight. We must return to the basics—to prayer, worship, and the sacraments. I have a group at my parish that has just begun the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. This is a great way to get back to the basics and rekindle the fire of God's love.

• Blazing Fire. Jeremiah was a blazing fire. He said, "If I say, I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name. There is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot." (Jeremiah 20:9) I have known that feeling, when I can't help but speak. I speak love and mercy and purpose and God's perfect plan and His desire for us to be with Him forever in Heaven. How He longs for us and waits for us and calls to us and seeks us out when we are lost. This is the blazing fire of God's love. The fire Moses saw in the burning bush. The tongues of fire above the heads of the disciples in the upper room at Pentecost. The fire that led Israel out of Egypt and through the desert to the Promised Land. Pray for that blazing fire. And don't be afraid to speak out the words that God gives you.

As you ponder this message about fire, think about where you've been. Who has fanned the flames of the fire for you? Pray in thanksgiving for them. For their prayers, words, love, and witness. What a blessing they have been to you. What turned the spark into a flame? What turned the flame into a bonfire? When did the fire seem to die out? What was happening? When we know these things, we can plan to keep the fire burning in the future.

And think about where you are now. How much of a fire is burning in your soul? Are you happy with that? Is there something you need to do to keep the fire burning or get it burning brighter?

Then think about the people around you and their fires. Is there something you can do to fan the flames in their souls?

Of course, the fire in our hearts and souls is a gift of grace from God. We can't make it brighter than God wants it to be at this moment. But we can definitely quench the fire. We must respond to the grace God offers. Strive for holiness, and your fire will burn brightly, lighting the way for the souls around you so that they, too, can know the burning fire of God's love.

Questions for prayer

1. What kind of fire is burning in your soul today? How satisfied are you with that?

2. What concrete actions can you take to be open to the grace God has for you, so that your flame continues to burn as brightly as God desires?