STAYING WARM IN WINTER

A MESSAGE FOR THE 14TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

When the Holy Ghost appeared on the heads of the Apostles, he took the form of tongues of fire.  This was the visible symbol of the effect the Holy Ghost has on those who receive him.  Fire gives out heat, and it emits light.  Heat that burns away our attachment to sin, and light that shows us the path we must take if we wish to save our souls.  It is the fire of love.

In the words of today’s hymn, we ask the Holy Ghost to come down to us and set our hearts on fire with that same love: “Come down, O Love divine!”  We ask him to let his holy flame “freely burn, till earthly passions turn  to dust and ashes in its heat consuming.”  And we ask that his “glorious light 
shine ever on my sight, and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.” 

Heat and light are very important things.  In this brave new world of technology, we take them for granted, and by the flick of a switch, the rotation of a dial, we turn the lights on and adjust the heat so that it’s like the house of the three bears, not too hot and not too cold.  Imagine for a moment what would happen if there were to be a prolonged power cut.  We would return to the days of our pioneer forefathers, having to throw wood in the stove and put oil in the lamps.  Not so bad in the summer perhaps, but think of those long, cold winter nights, shivering as we wrap ourselves in blankets and huddling together to keep the chills out.

It’s the same with our spiritual life.  Without the divine flame of the Holy Ghost, we become cold in our love for God and neighbor.  Our world takes on a darkness that no earthly light can brighten, and we enter the dark night of the soul.  Eventually, the whole world becomes so infected with sin and corruption that God will have no choice but to intervene.  With three days of darkness, the earth will be chastised and many will suffer and die.  Only those whose bodies remain temples of the Holy Ghost will be saved.  So stay warm!

We’re in September already.  Look around you as the days grow shorter, and the temperatures start to drop.  Winter is slowly coming, and we need to think about heating and lighting up our homes.  Better yet, let’s turn our attention to our souls and beg God fervently to send his Holy Spirit to enflame us with his Love Divine: “O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.”