BEND — Summer is slowly creeping to its inevitable end, and while the beginning of September does not necessarily mark the beginning of winter, there is already talk of snow at elevations above 6,000 feet. Imagine, snow in August. The snow, or any moisture for that matter, would be most welcome in helping to allay the progress of the various fires sparked by late August thunderstorms. The tinder dry grasses and underbrush make a serious fire season very likely. There is a phrase from Saint Luke’s Gospel which makes a reference to fire and I find it challenging and engaging. It is found in Luke 12:49, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

When I was down in Australia for World Youth Day activities I made reference to this concept in my catechesis sessions. I recalled my daily ritual during our diocesan youth camps of gathering some wood, preparing the kindling and building the wood pyramid in preparation for the evening fire. I asked the youth at WYD where I should place the kindling, at the top or at the bottom of the pyramid. Of course, the kindling goes at the bottom of the stack of wood. I then asked them, “If you were to try to set the world on fire, would you start the fire at the north pole or at the south pole?” They all replied that the south would be better. Then I suggested to them that Australia might just very well be the place where a spiritual fire could be ignited with a reasonable hope of having that “fire” spread out and upward and engulf the world. The energy and zeal of the youth who experienced the Holy Spirit there is a fire which I pray grows and spreads throughout the world. Luke 12:49, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

The Lucan passage is one which I have also chosen as the motto for a family values corporation which has been initiated. We call the corporation Ardor, Inc. The first project of Ardor is the Healthy Families — Safe Children program which is getting closer and closer to completion. How I wish it were already in full production. How I wish it were already blazing! My hope is that once the program is released, it becomes a part of an ever-growing and developing “fire” for the strengthening of family life and for the securing of greater safety for children.

Another project, into which I have invested much time and energy, is the building of our Diocesan Youth Camp/Retreat Center. Over the past six months we have continued our work of soliciting pledges, working with architects, meeting with the general contractor, reviewing plans, praying for God’s blessings, arranging loans and keeping the zeal for the project alive. It is a little like building a fire. It is not pleasant or easy to gather the wood. Sorting out or splitting the kindling into smaller slivers to assure a good base for the fire is time consuming and perhaps even a little tedious. Arranging the wood is not necessarily an art but it is more than simply making a pile. The fire is “built” long before any spark is introduced. If all of this is done properly then the starting of the fire is as simple as lighting and properly placing a single match. Believe it or not, I think we are ready to light the symbolic match for our Youth Camp/Retreat Center.

It is very likely that within a couple of weeks, if not within a couple of days, an invasion of heavy equipment will occupy the corner of Powell Butte Highway and Southwest Alfalfa Road. My hope is that the beginning of construction for the retreat center becomes a part of an ever growing and developing “fire” for the strengthening and deepening of faith life all across our diocese. Luke 12:49, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

It is no secret that the fire danger index for Eastern Oregon is high. I believe that the spiritual fire danger index is also high. The first is cause for fear and concern. The second is cause for hope and joy. The natural conditions which make the fire index high are paralleled by the conditions which elevate the spiritual fire index. Heat, lack of rain, abundance of fuel are factors conducive to fire. On the supernatural plane, trials and tribulations, heartaches and suffering all turn up the heat. There is no shortage of these. A sense of spiritual dryness can be oppressive but it also stimulates a hunger for something more. Perhaps that dryness can lead to fire.

Finally, the Scriptures, the Sacraments and God’s grace, offers an abundance of supernatural fuel and we, ourselves, are fuel. In the material world the fuel can be either too wet or already burned out. In our spiritual lives we can likewise be burned out or saturated with worldliness.

Even with the best prepared fire, dead charcoal or wet wood is hard to get started. Even with the best prepared fire, rain, wind, or even one person with a bucket of water can seriously impede the starting of the fire. Each of us needs to ask, “Am I ‘on fire’ with or for something?” I believe the Lord wants us to build a fire and that He is still wishing it were already blazing.

I found at the campfires that the youth did not necessarily want to help gather wood and kindling, arrange the pyre, or bring out the marshmallows, crackers and chocolate but there was generally no lack of enthusiasm for the fire, for the roasting of marshmallows or for their consumption. There was also no lack of enthusiasm for the spiritual reflection and praise songs for which the ambiance of the fire was so conducive. The work required to get all things set up for a successful fire faded into complete unimportance once the fire and the reason for building it were fully realized. I hope that all of the effort and even anxiety which have gone into the preparations for the building of a diocesan “fire” likewise fade into complete unimportance once the Youth Camp/Retreat Center and the reason for building it are fully realized. Thank all of you who have actively and prayerfully supported this important work.

My hope is that the beginning of construction for the retreat center becomes a part of an ever growing and developing “fire” for the strengthening and deepening of faith life all across our diocese.