“Bring me my bow of burning gold, bring me my arrows of desire. Bring me my spear! O clouds unfold. Bring me my chariot of fire!” Those words from William Blake’s 1804 poem, “Milton,” reference the famous biblical story in 2 Kings where the Prophet Elijah, instead of dying, was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.
“Chariots of Fire” has become a reference to divine blessings, heavenly protection, God’s special favor, or being enfolded by love so profound that it can frighten. In 1981, the Oscar-winning movie by the same title brought us another, perhaps more relevant or relatable, meaning of the phrase. The story is about two British runners in the 1924 Paris Olympics; one was a Jewish Englishman who raced to erase prejudice and the other a Scottish Christian missionary who ran to display God’s glory. The latter spoke about athletics as a calling: “I believe that God made me for a purpose. He also made me fast. When I run, I feel His pleasure!”
This insight can help us comprehend the magnitude of the worldwide soccer events now taking place in North America and Pope Leo’s prayer intention this month that sports can help teach the world to live in greater harmony. Yet even more than that, I think, the chariot of fire concept can help us understand that each of us has been given a special purpose tied to a unique gift entrusted to us by God. If we use the gift appropriately, we will do so for the greater glory of God (ad majorem dei glorium).
Sometimes I get lucky when counseling someone in trouble and I say something that I don’t know where it came from yet, at the same time, I realize that it is the Holy Spirit speaking through me. Or at a wedding or funeral or ordinary Mass, through prayer or words I reach someone who is profoundly moved by what I said and, thereby, gets united to God or a higher realm. On those occasions, all I can do is think or say is “ad majorem dei glorium,” for I recognize that, somehow, I got in sync with God and acted in a manner that offers Him pleasure—probably just by getting out of the way and letting Him work in me. You have had similar experiences in which you tapped into a gift or talent that the Good Lord entrusted to you, and you used it for the greater glory of God. It’s a remarkable thing that is mysteriously tied to your purpose here on earth and which brings forth divine pleasure.
The Bible gives us accounts of ten people who were raised from the dead, as well as a statement that many unnamed saints also rose from the grave at the time Jesus died. But Elijah is the only person who never died (though there is a reference to Enoch who was taken by God and Melchizedek who had no beginning or end). Though there are various interpretations why Elijah was taken to heaven escaping earthly death—and many conclude that he will return to usher in the second coming of Christ—most believe that it is a reminder that God wants to enfold us with the fire of His love, give us divine protection, and usher us into heaven when our purpose here is complete. Meanwhile, whenever we utilize talents He has entrusted to us for His greater glory, we become one with Him and that union produces divine pleasure. Let us rejoice that we can be instruments of God’s grace.