The Purifying Fire

“I will pour out the Holy Spirit upon all priests in the form of a purifying fire. Those who welcome that fire will emerge from it like gold from the furnace, shining with holiness and with a wonderful purity for all to see. Those who refuse my fire will be consumed by it.” —In Sinu Jesu

God’s will and His love for us can be in the form of a purifying fire. A fire that leaves nothing untouched. A fire that although at times painful, always leads to restoration, and never destruction.

There will be pain in this life; we know that- circumstances we wish we could change, prayers that haven’t been answered, sickness and suffering and death.

We have two options in pain- to be transformed by it or to be consumed by it. If we welcome it as part of God’s purifying fire, we too will emerge from it like gold, shinning with holiness and grace we would have never known without it.

There is pain in either choice, whether we choose to welcome the sufferings as from Him or refuse them, but only one leads to transformation.

As we prepare for Advent, let’s pray to our Blessed Mother, whose acceptance of God’s will despite the physical and emotional pain that came with it, brought the greatest transformation and purification in history, leaving not one of us untouched.