Chaos. It’s a wonderful English word, described in the opening words of the first book of the Bible as “a formless wasteland” and ‘a dark abyss.” It’s the image of a roiling sea, with big breaking waves going this way and that, hither and yon.
While above these rolling waves a mighty wind sweeps over the water. Here it is helpful to recall the the Hebrew word for wind is ruah, which has a whole range of meanings from wind to spirit to fire.
This wind, then, is the same mighty Spirit who inspired the Prophets, who
came down from heaven upon the Lord Jesus as he began his public ministry, and who manifested as tongues of fire upon those gathered in the upper room at Pentecost. It is the Spirit who Jesus breathes upon his disciples and who remains with the Church until the end of time.
This is the Spirit which at the dawn of creation brought light out of darkness, order out of chaos, and covered the land with vegetation, the sky with sun and moon and stars, and made us to breathe and be.
It is the same Spirit which has watched over our Order for over 900 years, and preserved us from utter destruction at places like Acre, Rhodes and Lepanto. And it is the same Spirit which for over a century and a half has preserved and renewed these puddingstone walls as a witness to the Most Holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, despite the burning of convents, the bigotry of know -nothings and the ravages of secularism in our own day.
For it is that same Holy Spirit who is alive and at work today, renewing his creation, bringing order out of chaos, forgiveness where there was sin and enlightening our hearts with God’s eternal love.
