A Fiery Contemplation

June 2002:  Ash rained down and the horizon was a dusty orange.  As a kid, it was a curious thing to catch charred bits in your hands as one would a snowflake, but it was also terrifying.  It meant the fire was close, that there was the possibility, however remote, that your entire life could go up in flames.  To escape the thick, suffocating haze of the approaching Hayman fire, we voluntarily evacuated.

Perhaps it is because of this elementary school experience, or maybe it is because my native state continues to experience major fires during the summer, some of which strike close to my parents' home, but my heart aches for all those who have been affected by the Fort McMurray fire.  As of Wednesday (May 25th), the fire has consumed over 2,000 square miles in two Canadian provinces and destroyed more than 2,000 structures. Weather conditions there continue to contribute to the spread of the fire and there appears to be no end in sight.  88,000 residents of Fort McMurray and surrounding areas were evacuated.  As far as I know, no one has been allowed to return, although if all goes well, Fort McMurray is scheduled for re-entry in early June.

I don't have TV and I don't frequent news sites.  Most of the major news stories I am aware of I know about because of social media.  With both the Belgium and Paris attacks, information was plastered across Facebook and people changed their profile pics to show solidarity with those communities that were impacted.  Since the Fort McMurray fire made international news, there has been little to no mention of the ongoing situation.  A quick look at what is trending on Facebook reveals that election politics are among the top most popular topics.  The suffering of 88,000 people, some who watched their homes burn, has been largely forgotten.

It's fascinating:  tragic, short-lived events, where some people lost their lives at the hands of a few evil men, are treated as more important than developing natural disasters that impact thousands.  Why does one deserve more attention and recognition than another?

Both types of events, natural disaster and man-instigated violence, are consequences of the fall.  God did not create the world for such devastation.  In Genesis, He calls His creation good, but men rebelled and brought destruction.  Men continue to seek out evil and nature continues to bear fruit of a broke world.  Neither can rebuild what is destroyed.  And yet while we remained broken, victims of ourselves and natural phenomena, Christ came to mend and rebuild, to redeem us from our rebellion. Through His death, we have been given life.

While I mourn with those who have lost loved ones and I weep with those who have no home to return to, I also pray that God may grant them strength to face their earthly sorrows and comfort in the salvation won by Christ and given in Word and Sacrament.