A fire burning deep inside

 There is a sculpture on the grounds of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska close to a residence where I was staying which portrays a flame constructed in steel with a burning flame inside. The quote echoes the vision of St Ignatius where he says, te, inflammate omnia—“go, set the world on fire" (https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/go-set-the-world-on-fire/). There is a sense that this is an illuminating fire that captures hearts and passes quickly from one to another. 

We can sense this in the world where ideas and images are quickly transmitted from one end of the world to another. The concerns of one become the concerns of all. Our imagination can be sparked which engages us to make instant choices about how we respond. When people suffer we are called to reflect and respond. With the availability of response, we are moved beyond mere observation to creative action. What affects one affects all.

Yet we are also conscious that what is a priority for us may not be a priority for another. We can sense that we can be pulled in many directions at once. This is never more present than within our own homes. One person sees one thing while somebody sees another. We can find ourselves disagreeing about what is the mission we have in common. The peace we seek is not an absence of these tensions but rather a place where the tensions can be held in common. Where we can be aware of strong voices that arise within us promoting one response or another. The discerning the Holy Spirit allows us to live in this creative tension that seeks the common good.

This calls us to be people who are trained in faith to keep our eyes on the person of Jesus. This is not just a sense of pious inaction that sees our lives as a consequence of the activity of others. Rather it is a life that seeks to tend the inner flame within us. This allows us to notice what is the touchstone of our life which directs our attention to reflect and study our own environment. This mature reflection allows us to be people who burn with faith and zeal for the love of God and the love of others. No longer is our faith just something that is a brand we wear but rather a person we are called to become. We are called to be people who are enflamed and enamored with the person of Jesus. Our lives are transformed from the inside out. We become people who like Jesus live our faith in this world so that heaven may touch the earth!