The Pyromania of Our Species

 

God, Holy Spirit, come to us, come among us;

come as the wind, and cleanse;

come as the fire, and burn;

come as the dew, and refresh:

convict, convert, and consecrate

many hearts and lives

to our great good and your greater glory. Amen.

                                                                                          Voices United 197                                          

Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, to relieve some tension or for instant gratification. The term pyromania comes from the Greek word πῦρ (pyr, 'fire').

Two weeks ago I wrote a Pentecost blog in which I mentioned the powerful imagery of one of the doors at the entrance of St. Andrew's United Church, Sudbury, a congregation I served for eleven years. While I appreciated all of the door panels created by Canadian painter and sculptor, Jordi Bonet, the one with the flames of the Holy Spirit captured my imagination the most.

                                                             St Andrew's United Church, Sudbury

Since that blog entry I've wondered whether it was appropriate to use this image given that there are destructive wildfires in provinces and territories across the country. People and ecosystems have experienced terrible losses in what is shaping up to be the worst wildfire season on record. 

This morning I emerged from the gym to a heavy, odd-coloured haze and the smell of wood smoke. I cycled to my workout and questioned my decision because I could taste the smoke. In Southern Ontario we are well away from the fires but there are no "peeing and non-peeing sections in the pool". During the past few weeks we've received warnings about wildfire smoke affecting our air quality coming in from the Western provinces, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. We lived in Nova Scotia during my ministry years and know the areas affected by the fires. Our music director lived in Tantallon and I need to reach out about his family's situation, but I'm afraid to find out.

We are being told that these extensive and intense fires are not really natural disasters. They are the outcome of the pyromania of our species. We burn fossil fuels with abandon which heats up the planet and changes patterns of weather and ultimately climate. We don't "fight fire with fire", we amplify fire with our profligate burning. 

As I've said more times than you may want to hear, this is a climate calamity which is certainly a practical issue but it's also a spiritual crisis. As I left the Y this morning children were arriving for the daycare. What mess have we created for them and their generation?  

As Christians we must kindle an urgent passion for new ways of imagining our place in Creation, one which is honest and humble. 

                                             Quebec Wildfire Map