‘Go forth and set the world on fire’ is a phrase heard often around Jesuit ministry. They are the words with which Jesuit founder St Ignatius of Loyola, sent St Francis Xavier on his pioneering missionary journey into Asia.
However, in light of the bushfire disaster in our country – this phrase really jars.
In recent weeks we have seen lives lost, forests decimated, animals suffering, whole species potentially wiped out, thousands of people fleeing or evacuated in fear, and even those thousands of kilometres from the flames affected by the toxic haze – the potential effects of which we cannot begin to understand.
It is hard, in the current climate, to imagine how the phrase can possibly be used to denote something positive, let alone inspirational.
Yet amid the devastation of recent times, we have also seen the best in human nature: firefighters – many of them volunteers whose own families, homes, farms and businesses are under threat –putting their own lives at risk to fight fires and save others; people removing their own clothing to comfort and rescue frightened and injured animals; donation drives inundated with more goods than they can cope with; a campaign that set out to raise $20k raise in excess of $45million, and counting; community groups and individuals, including immigrants who have adopted this country as their own, rallying to feed, house and dispense medicines to those in need, even where their own homes have been lost or at risk; business people and celebrities making generous commitments to support relief and recovery efforts.
All this invites us to potentially reconsider our initial response to the phrase ‘go forth and set the world on fire’.
Fire is a natural force. It is value neutral. Whether it is to be feared or welcomed depends somewhat on the context and the nature of our relationship with it.
On the one hand, as we have all too painfully seen, it destroys and harms. But it can be essential for warmth, nourishment and light.
So as the flames and smoke, please God, eventually recede let us not forget the lessons of this tragedy and fall into the old ways.
Let us listen to and embrace the wisdom of the traditional custodians of this country who have known and loved this land for tens of thousands of years.
Let us welcome the valuable contribution of our newest Australians and their desire to serve.
Let us continue to give generously and selflessly to those in need.
Let us grow in our respect and love of our precious and fragile environment and the many beautiful creatures that inhabit it.
Let us continue to draw on our common compassion to unite rather than divide.
Most importantly, let us work together to do whatever we can to try and ensure, that what we have seen in the closing days of 2019 and the opening ones of 2020, remains a bitter memory and not a dawn of a new reality – the result of lack of political will and imagination of what might be rather than a defeatist resignation to what is.
Monika Lancucki is Director, Jesuit Communications
WE'RE HERE TO HELP
Jesuit Communications encourages any subscribers affected by fires to get in touch about any adjustments that might be required to their subscriptions and how we might best support them and their communities through our ministry. This includes deferral of deliveries or suspension of subscriptions, access to electronic subscription in lieu of print.
TO DONATE
We also encourage subscribers support the work of the firefighters battling the blazes, and those agencies providing support to affected communities and wildlife in all affected states.
Donate to the Vinnies bushfire appeal
Donate to WIRES to support wildlife
To support firefighters, donations can be made to the rural/ country fire services in each state
Co-ordinated Catholic response to the fires and prayer resources are available
Image: The photo was taken by Rose Fletcher, a South Australian resident who captured it at Victor Harbour while the sun rose on New Year's Day. The picture available on her Facebook page has gone viral because of its resemblance to the Aboriginal flag.