“Were our hearts not burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?” —Luke 24:32a
The element of fire appears throughout our scriptures as an agent of inspiration, destruction, awe, and purification. In our own lives, fire has great capacity to both enliven and threaten us. Praying with fire, then, can take many forms: from recognizing the power of one’s own heartbeat, to praying for the Spirit’s inspiration like that of the “tongues of fire,” to seeking purification and clarification through a desert experience, to grieving something destroyed in our lives. Fire can also be a source of discernment of our vocation, as we ask ourselves: “What sets my heart on fire?” Throughout the month, we will center our practice on the living flame of love, a phrase used for the inspiration of the Spirit by St. John of the Cross.
Sit with your eyes closed and your hand on your heart. As you get in touch with the beating of your own heart, imagine the divine flame burning within you. Begin to send the fire of love outward, opening your heart as widely as you can. Spend some time pouring love onto your friends and family members, then extend the love to your community, then out to all of creation.
Christine Valters Paintner, Water, Wind, Earth & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements, p. 64.
