The Burning Ember

The Blazing Embers

"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 

                                                                                      -Matthew 18:20 (ESV)

I heard of a story shared by our Retreat Master in one of the retreats that I attended. 

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.

After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more.

Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave, he slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.”

Two lessons I learned. First, the greatest sermon will always be a silent sermon. The words that can be heard from my actions as a priest. The greatest evangelization is by silently witnessing to the Gospel of Christ. Second, we need a community where we can be with in praying and worshiping God. We need a community whom we can journey with.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for using simple actions in waking us up and in warming up our faith in you. Amen.