Homily 495 | Pentecost | Year B
Soon I will be back HOmE in the beautiful ponderosa pine forests of Philmont Scout Ranch. I love those trees. Get up close and smell one next time you get a chance. They smell like butterscotch. As good scouts, we of course want to practice conservation and take care of the beautiful trees. Every crew hiking through the backcountry is required to do three hours of conservation work. What surprises most scouts is when they learn that their conservation project is going to be cutting down trees.
That’s right; the best way to take care of the forests today is actually to cut down trees. You see, ponderosa pines live in what is known as a pyrrhic ecosystem. They require fire to be healthy. Historically, forest fires would come through about every 5 to 25 years and burn out all the junk on the forest floor. The ponderosa pines have a thick bark and keep their branches high so that a low grade fire doesn’t hurt them. It actually helps them thrive. They’re made for fire.
The problem began in the early 20th century when we started putting out the forest fires. The forests have become so overgrown and thick that, when an inevitable fire does come along, it burns out of control and kills everything in its path. This is why scouts have to do with chainsaws what fires used to do.
On this Pentecost Sunday, it might be a good exercise to ask yourself what shape your “forest” is in. Have you been putting out every little “fire” of discomfort? Do you just keep gaining more and more stuff, both physically and spiritually? God wants to send the Holy Spirit to purify you, to help clean things out. Stop putting out the fire! Clear out your forest and allow the Spirit in. You were not made for comfort. Like a ponderosa pine, you were made for fire!
https://www.nps.gov/articles/wildland-fire-in-ponderosa-pine.htm