14 December 2013 - living flame of love

14 December 2013 - living flame of love

You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.

John the Baptist is the one who comes in the spirit and power of Elijah. He reestablishes the tribes of Jacob by preaching repentance and alms giving. It is our sin and selfishness which allows us to be scattered and ruined. We can only be truly secure built upon the word of LORD because only this truly abides.  But  John can be hard to hear without hardening our hearts. He won't hesitate to call us a brood of vipers if our motives are vain. Hearing this we are angered and won't come to his baptism of repentance. It is like how Elijah shuts up the sky. In both cases we are allowed to thirst so that the true depth of our need is made manifest.  And John and Elijah both point to the true God amidst the idols and worldliness all around. Elijah calls down fire vindicating his sacrifice. When John baptized Jesus the fire of the Holy Spirit descends. This reveals the one true sacrifice with whom God is pleased. All others foreshadowed this.

but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.

May we have eyes to see God's self-revelation. He is doing much into is season of advent to prepare us for his coming. If he has to speak a harsh word to us let us take it to heart and repent sincerely. May we find the places where the fire of his Spirit falls so that we may be renewed and inflamed with his love. We see the one with whom the Father is well pleased revealed to us. Let us build our lives not he rock of his words.

Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

We tend to think that we can fix things by turning to the LORD but this is only half of it. He must make us turn to him or we will find ourselves immobile. May our ardent desire be to seek his face. We cannot see it without dying unless he enables us to do so with his grace.

Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.

May we become like St. John of the Cross and refuse to find true consolation in anything but God himself. When we love God in this way and are called according to his purpose all things work together for our good. Even in suffering we taste the joys of heaven.

O sweet cautery,
O delightful wound!
O gentle hand! O delicate touch
That tastes of eternal life
And pays every debt!
In killing you changed death to life.