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Posted by on Feb 2, 2025

A Refiner’s Fire – Purify and Prepare

A Refiner’s Fire – Purify and Prepare

Aluminum foil is one of those products that has come to be so commonly used that no one thinks much about where it comes from and how it’s made. But that wasn’t always the way it was.

Here’s a bit of background. Aluminum is the twelfth most common element in the universe. It reacts well with oxygen, and when they combine on the surface, aluminum shines like polished silver. It is soft, easy to shape, and non-magnetic. Many cooking pots used today are made of aluminum, which heats easily. (This poses a challenge for those seeking to use induction stoves! They won’t heat, because induction is based on magnetic force.)

Aluminum is found in the crust of the earth, mixed into a kind of rock known as bauxite. This mineral is lighter than iron or steel, so has historically been extensively used in aviation – for building airplanes. It has to be separated from the rock in order to be used. It must be refined.

When I grew up, most of the men in my area of town worked either for the railroad or for Kaiser Aluminum, refining aluminum from bauxite. The pot lines were located just outside the town immediately to the north of our community. Once the ore was liquid, it was trucked to another plant east of town. There it was poured and shaped into huge rolls of solid aluminum. Those rolls were then shipped to plants elsewhere, rolled increasingly thinner, and formed into the metal we use today for airplanes, cars, cooking pots, and aluminum foil!

The pot lines were extraordinarily hot places. There were sixteen buildings with potlines. If a bit of metal fell on the ground, everyone knew not to touch it. It would be burning hot. When the lines were open so families and friends of the workers could visit and see, we were all told never to touch anything shiny or metal on the ground. The potlines were heated and the metal was liquid. It was stiflingly hot inside the buildings. Over 100 million pounds of aluminum were produced there in the first year alone.

The plant has since closed, as has the railroad yard. A lot of clean-up work has been required to rid the area of toxins produced by both. Some toxins are still in the soil and protective layers have been added to keep them where they are rather than letting them get out into the waterways again. And life has gone on …

Reading from the book of the Prophet Malachi today, I was reminded of these potlines and the refiners’ fires, the fuller’s lye. (Fuller’s lye is also known as potash – potassium hydroxide. It’s very caustic. Sodium hydroxide is another very common form of lye, known as soda lye. Don’t even think of drinking it! Both are used to make soaps.) Processing of the bauxite includes use of lye to break apart its components and separate out the aluminum ore.

Malachi speaks of the messenger of the Lord who will come ahead of the messenger of the covenant. The first messenger is to prepare the way of the Lord, so the messenger of the covenant can enter. This one will come with power – like the refiner’s fire – and will patiently refine and purify the Levites, the priestly class. Why purify them? So they can offer sacrifices on behalf of the people that will be pleasing to the Lord. (Mal 3:1-4)

The words of Malachi were recorded around 500 years before the birth of Jesus. Yet they are part of a transition in the long story of reconciliation between God and humanity. The purification of which the prophet speaks will result in a renewal of the Lord’s joy in the offerings and love of the community.

And then, the long wait continued.

Jesus’ birth marked another transition in this history, as he began his life as a child of the Covenant. The Feast of the Presentation celebrates an event required by the Covenant in the life of Jewish baby boys. When the first boy was born to a family, tradition said the child belonged to God. The parents of the family offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving for the birth of the child and in return, received the right from God to keep him as their own. They didn’t have to give him to the Temple to be raised there, apart from his family.

Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to offer this sacrifice on his behalf. This was not the time of his circumcision. That was a different custom and timeframe. They expected to offer the sacrifice and leave, as any other couple would expect. Additionally, it was forty days after his birth, so a sacrifice was to be offered to allow Mary to re-enter the life of the community, to “purify” her after her pregnancy. Accordingly, this day we remember as the Feast of the Purification of Mary was a doubly important day in their lives.

Joseph and Mary got a surprise that day in the Temple. An old man, Simeon, met them at the Temple. He had been promised by the Lord that he would not die before seeing the Christ of the Lord – the anointed one who was to come. When he saw Joseph and Mary, he knew this child was the one he was sent to meet. He took Jesus in his arms and gave thanks. “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace … for my eyes have seen your salvation.” More than just the salvation of Israel, Simeon proclaimed that this child would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people, Israel.”

Wow. Not just Israel, but all the peoples of the world!

Simeon was not a fool, however. He spoke directly to Mary of the trials that would come to her personally because of the identity of her child. Her child’s life would be a source of contradiction and of conflict among peoples – those who believed in his origin and mission and those who did not. She would suffer personally as she watched this come to pass – as would any mother watching her own child go through all Jesus would.

Another woman was also in the Temple that day. Anna was a prophetess. She heard the Lord’s word and had spent most of her life serving and praying in the Temple after the death of her husband. She too recognized Jesus and gave thanks for his birth. She thanked God and told all those she met afterwards about the coming of this child at last.

Following that amazing day, St. Luke tells us that Jesus and his family returned to Nazareth. Jesus grew up there as an ordinary child in an ordinary family, becoming strong and wise. The Lord God was pleased with him and his growth. (Lk 2:22-40)

Now, you may ask, where does aluminum fit into all of this?

As an adult, Jesus’ life followed a pretty normal path until his cousin John began baptizing people in the Jordan River and speaking of the coming of the Messiah. Following Jesus’ own baptism, when the Holy Spirit came upon him and he began to understand his role in the coming of the Kingdom of God, he traveled a path that eventually led to his self-sacrifice at Calvary.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews explains that in order for God to reach out in reconciliation with all of humanity and take away the power of death, it was necessary to become one of us and experience and conquer death. Rather than sacrifice animals, as the traditional priests in the temple did, Jesus gave himself as an offering. In doing this, God himself came to experience human suffering in a very personal way. Jesus, as human and divine, is able to help those who are suffering too. He understands and is present with them. He can’t necessarily prevent them from suffering. But they will not be alone. He will be with them through the entire process of purification and refining of faith and faithfulness to the Kingdom’s call. (Heb 2:14-18)

This promise has sustained millions of people through the centuries as they have had to stand on their own two feet and say Yes or No to what is happening in their families and communities.

There continue to be times when people are called to pass through a time of refining, of becoming again faithful to their call, of speaking and acting on behalf of the Kingdom. It happens in families. It can happen in communities. It can happen in nations.

As we enter into this very difficult time in our nation’s history, with so many unknowns, so many precedents being discarded, so many vulnerable people being hurt, may we too remember and pray for the courage to speak and work for the Kingdom of love in practical ways. It’s not a theoretical, sometime-after-I-die kind of thing. It’s right here and now.

How do we support the migrants? How do we speak for children who will be left hungry without community support through the government? How do we protect travelers? How do we keep roads and bridges safe? How do we prevent wealthy thieves from stealing the funds we have all put together to support our institutions and families?

This is a time we have not seen before in our lifetimes. Pray with me that we will have the courage to speak up, to reach out, to help those who we may not even know are at risk, so that all may continue to live and work and thrive in this place that has been so rich in resources and community.

It’s not a time to give up. It’s not a time to panic. It is a time to speak and act concretely. Reach out. Offer your time and help to groups that are trying to protect the poor, the migrants, the visitors, the disabled, the minorities, the elderly, the children. Work together. We must not stop caring. We must not stop hoping. We must carry on in faith.

Aluminum gets very hot as it is separated from bauxite. But it shines when the process is over. May our lives, our traditions, our nation, our way of being be purified and sustained through this time of upheaval and danger.

Our traditions and beliefs do not point to the elevation of one race or one set of beliefs. Our outreach is to all peoples and we find God in all cultures. All are our sisters and brothers. All are to be protected and loved.

At this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, may we remember our call to recognize and shine forth the Light for Revelation whom Simeon first recognized so long ago in the Temple: the Love and blessing of the Lord God for all, living now within each of us.

Readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord – Cycle C

 

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Posted by on Feb 24, 2015

Growing: From the Celebration of Light at Candlemas into Lent

Growing: From the Celebration of Light at Candlemas into Lent

lent-cross-trinity-park-forestThe arrival of Lent always seems too fast. Christmas season is so short yet so intense following the four weeks of Advent. We get a brief few weeks of Ordinary Time to ponder the baptismal experience of Jesus and his response, and then, BOOM, here we are in Lent again! It sometimes feels like maybe we should just postpone it for a few more weeks. Maybe Easter wouldn’t really have to be the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. Would that be such a big deal? But then I think a bit further and decide that maybe 2000 years of tradition have something to tell me/us today as well.

February begins with the celebration of Candlemas on February 2. This day recognizes events in the life of Jesus and his parents when they visited the temple both for the ritual purification of Mary 40 days after childbirth and the presentation of Jesus, as her firstborn son, to God. It is also known as Candlemas because the prophet Simeon recognized Jesus as the Promised One and foretold that he would be a light to all the nations. Candles have been the primary source of light for most of the history of Christianity, so they became associated with these feasts.

As we listen to the Gospel accounts of the ministry of Jesus, we see him discovering the special relationship he has with God as Father and the mission for which he has been sent. He accepts that mission, to gather the people of Israel and bring them back with him to the Father, beginning with the poor and marginalized of his land. It’s not without reason that he calls fishermen and tax collectors to be his special friends or that he uses images of farming, tending flocks, baking bread, keeping house, and fishing to explain God’s love for the people. These are realities deeply understood by his audience.

Jesus had three years in which to grow into the man who would stand before the religious and political leaders of his country and testify to the truth of who he was/is. During that time he preached and healed many of those who were brought to him. He also retreated regularly into the hills or off onto the Sea of Galilee to pray. We are told more than once that he slipped away to pray early in the morning and his disciples had to go looking for him. To their insistent reminders that people were waiting for him, Jesus responded that time to be with his Father was even more important. That time away with his Father was what made it possible for him ultimately to face and accept his death and the apparent failure of his mission.

We are called to live in the light of the Resurrection, but we are also called to live as Jesus did. That means we must deal with many of the same realities faced by the people of his time. Poverty, injustice, hardship, the unfairness of life — these things are not unique to the ancient world nor to our world. It is through prayer, fasting, and other activities of Lent that we grow in strength to follow the Lord. When Easter arrives, we rejoice with the newly baptized as we once again rise with the Lord in our daily lives. All is renewed and hope springs forth eternally. From the Light come into the world, through the time of deepening prayer and growth in faith, to the joy of the Resurrection.

It’s time to celebrate Lent!

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Posted by on Feb 21, 2015

Growing: From the Celebration of Light at Candlemas into Lent

Light

800px-Sunrise on Mt Sinai in Egypt - June2006 - by Mabdalla - public domainLight is fascinating. At Christmas time we are enthralled with the lights all around us, candles and Yule fires. We feel safe in light. Light is beautiful to us. At Epiphany and the Feast of the Presentation (Candlemas) we hear that a light for the nations has come into the world and that people from afar have come to witness its arrival. Light is a physical, energetic reality so fundamental that it takes on symbolic meanings as well.

An energetic force

Light is so basic and essential that we take it for granted. It travels at 186,000 miles per second. So amazingly fast. It is an electromagnetic radiation, a specific energy, that has a spectrum of forms from short waves (ultraviolet) to long waves (infrared). In the middle are the manifestations of light we can see, such as colors. Its most notable characteristic for humans is that light stimulates the organs that help us see: the retina, the optic nerve, etc. We are richly blessed to see ourselves, people, and objects. Light is so important to humans that we can become very ill if we lack it for a long time.

A symbolic image

But, light is much more. It is also spoken of as mental illumination or insight. The word itself can mean to understand. It can also be used to describe being guided, as John of the Cross describes his own journey in spiritual darkness during which he is guided by nothing “save only the light burning in my heart.” (Dark Night of the Soul).

Light has been experienced as God presence, enlightenment and strength (Psalm 27:1). God is described in the Scriptures as our light, a light that shines in our darkness (John 1:5), a light who calls us out of darkness
(1 Peter 2:9). Jesus himself tells us in turn to be the light of the world and not to hide our light (Matt 5:14).

God is our light. Our lives can be in darkness, darkness from letting ourselves be in agitation from bad habits or denial. We can give in to negative thoughts or fear. On the other hand, if we practice openness to seeing and hearing God speaking in our hearts, we can see and hear a desire in us to be illuminated and strengthened. We can feel the fog lifting and an ability to live in light. It is our choice to say yes to this. We don’t have to earn it or produce it, we just have to consent to it.

Image by Mabdalla, Sunrise at Mt Sinai in Egypt, public domain

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Posted by on Feb 2, 2014

Candlemas: Light Candles to Celebrate the Light of the World

Candlemas: Light Candles to Celebrate the Light of the World

On the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as Candlemas, we remember that Joseph and Mary took their firstborn son to the temple to present him to God, according to the traditions of their faith. An old man and an old woman met them at the temple. Each recognized the baby (only forty days old) as the One who had been promised from of old.

The man, Simeon, who had come “in the Spirit” to the temple, took Jesus in his arms and gave thanks to God, saying, “Now Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” The old woman, Anna, was a prophetess who lived in the temple. Her words are not recorded, only that she gave thanks to God and spoke to all she met of the child she had seen.

In this feast we see a continuation of a theme begun in Advent and celebrated through the Christmas season. “A light shines in the darkness.” (Jn 1:5) “A people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” (Is 9:1) “Rise up, Jerusalem, and shine forth” (Is 60:1) “Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands.” (Ps 110:1b) “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Mt 2:2) “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17) We hear these strains again and again in the first months of our liturgical year, calling to us to listen and understand what has come to pass.

The Holy Spirit opens our eyes and our hearts to see the coming of the Promised One among us, just as was the case with Simeon, Anna, the Magi, and John the Baptist. When our eyes have been opened, we see the light shining through and overcoming the darkness. It is a light for all peoples; no more “us vs. them”, no more exclusion of anyone simply because he or she is different or a stranger. The Spirit fills Jesus and leads him into his public life. The Spirit fills Simeon and leads him to the temple. The Spirit leads the Magi to notice the star and set out on a journey to find the child it heralds. The same Spirit calls us too. We are to be lights for our world. We receive a candle at our Baptism and we are told to keep it shining brightly until the day the Lord comes for us.

And so we take candles and light them again, as we celebrate the coming of the Light of the World and the presence of the Spirit among us, helping us to recognize His coming.

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Posted by on Feb 2, 2012

Growing: From the Celebration of Light at Candlemas into Lent

Recognizing the Light through our Daily Lives

Three Candles

Stepping carefully as she crossed the intersection, the older woman, wearing a warm coat and knitted hat despite the unseasonably warm weather and carrying a shopping bag of groceries, stopped suddenly, a look of delight on her face. She stepped back and slightly to the side, shifted her purse and bag, and bent to pick up a coin from the street. From my vantage point in the car waiting for the light to change, it appeared to be a quarter — just  twenty-five cents. Yet the delight I saw in her face could not have been greater if it had been a thousand times more valuable. She had found something of value, just laying there on the ground in plain sight, waiting for someone to notice it. She picked it up carefully and placed it into her purse. Then she continued to make her way across the intersection on her way home to her apartment down the street.

As she walked on her way and I went on mine, I reflected on what I had seen. A very ordinary item, found in the course of a very ordinary activity, brought great delight to a seemingly very ordinary person. Yet she was a person who was alert and aware of her surroundings. She noticed what was going on, despite the ordinariness of the day and its activities. She saw more than many saw who crossed that intersection on that afternoon, and when she saw, she acted on what she had seen.

Perhaps this anonymous woman has something to teach us as we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, a feast also known as Candlemas and/or as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Just as Anna and Simeon recognized Jesus when his parents brought him to the Temple to offer the traditional sacrifice required for a first born son, so we are called to be alert and aware so we will recognize Jesus when he comes into our lives. No one was expecting the Christ to come as the infant son of a normal, non-wealthy, non-royal family from Nazareth. Just a carpenter’s son!  The Christ was to be a military hero who would drive out the Roman conquerors and establish a new kingdom like that of David. Yet, Anna and Simeon recognized him and blessed God for the gift of seeing him before their deaths. Indeed, Anna went around happily telling everyone she met that the Messiah had been born and had been presented at the Temple … and she herself had seen him!

The challenge each of us faces, I believe, is to see the Christ in the people with whom we share our lives, as well as in the people who formally represent the Christian community, and to celebrate that coming  into our lives. The fellow who sits begging on the street downtown, the woman who stops joyfully to pick up a coin in the middle of the crosswalk, the guy who laughingly dances down the street, flirting with all the ladies as he goes to round up some buddies and head off to dinner before the cold night catches up with them, the frightened teen who finds she’s pregnant and is certain her parents will beat her and throw her out on the street if they find out, the doctor who cares for a child without charge when the parents don’t have insurance and can’t pay for the care, the little boy who delightedly strips off all his clothes because he’s learned how to do it and revels in the freedom of being alive and unfettered. Each of these is Christ coming to someone. How do we respond?

Image by Alice Birkin – Public domain

 

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