God is ... Fire

The only "fire" I light these days is an occasional candle... (And a few of these are battery operated!) I haven't lit a bonfire or a campfire in years. So the powerful image of fire is almost lost to me.

I realized this when I came across this comment made by a Desert Mother (the name given to women hermits and monastics who lived in the deserts of Egypt over 1500 years ago.)










One of the most famous Desert Mothers, Amma Syncletica said: "Great endeavors and hard struggles await those who are converted, but afterwards inexpressible joy. If you want to light a fire, you are troubled at first by smoke, and your eyes pour water. But in the end you achieve your aim. Now it is written, 'Our God is a consuming fire.' So we must light the divine fire in us with tears and struggle."