Sirach 48: 1-4, 9-11
Then Elijah arose, a prophet like fire,
and his word burned like a torch.
He brought a famine upon them,
and by his zeal he made them few in number.
By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens,
and also three times brought down fire.
How glorious you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You were taken up by a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with horses of fire.
At the appointed time, it is written, you are destined
to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury,
to turn the hearts of parents to their children,
and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
Happy are those who saw you
and were adorned with your love!
For we also shall surely live.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Fire of Faith
Fire, fiery, flaming, furnace — this passage mentions some variation of fire six times in the translation we hear at Mass. It’s not accidental.
Elijah is no stranger to the flame. In 1 Kings, Elijah proved that “the Lord is God” by challenging prophets of the pagan god Baal to a duel of sorts. They would call on Baal to rain down fire on their offering; Elijah would call on Yahweh to burn his altar and sacrifice which he soaked with water. Of course, the God of Abraham consumed Elijah’s entire sacrifice with a heavenly blaze. Elijah was the biblical prophet of fire.
A exhortation at Jesuit school graduations, popularly attributed to St. Ignatius, is to “go forth and set the world on fire.” Not literally, but with a real passion, as of widening flames, to serve others and spread the Word of God.
How would we describe our faith? Is it stagnant and still, like pond water? Or is the good news burning like a flame in our hearts?
—Laura Asplund is the Business Manager at Queen of All Saints School, the Roman Catholic elementary school of Queen of All Saints Basilica in Chicago. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., where she was blessed to know Fr. Albert Bischoff, SJ, who ministered to the Catholic students on campus and called everyone “saint.”
Prayer
O my adorable and loving Savior, consume my heart with the burning fire with which Yours is aflame. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love. Let my heart be united with Yours. Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things. May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions.
—Prayer of St. Gertrude
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.