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I have lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, for 19 years. Starting in February of this year, there has been bigger wildfires destroying forests and bringing suffering and death to many small mountain communities than I can remember. In February a huge fire burned the mountains in front of the home for needy children where I serve, and this last week a tremendous blaze burned for over a week in the hills behind the mission. Never seen anything on the size and scale of these infernos before. This seems to be a world wide trend according to recent headlines. This is lamentable.
Lament for the Destruction of Wildfires
O raging flames that devour the earth,
You who turn lush forests into barren wastelands,
Hear the cry of a wounded world,
Where beauty once flourished, now reduced to ash and ruin.
In the heart of the inferno, life perishes,
Wild creatures flee in terror, their homes engulfed.
Ancient trees, tall and proud, now stand no more,
Their whispers silenced by the roar of merciless fire.
O relentless blaze, why do you consume with such fury?
Why do you spread sorrow across the land?
Families weep for their lost homes,
Memories and treasures turned to dust.
The sky, once clear and blue, now chokes with smoke,
The air heavy with the scent of despair.
Communities are torn apart, neighbors scatter,
Seeking refuge from the relentless march of destruction.
We mourn the death of the innocent,
Lives taken too soon by your unyielding grip.
We grieve for the landscape, once vibrant and green,
Now a charred remnant of its former self.
O God, where is the solace in this fiery trial?
Where is the comfort in the face of such loss?
We lift our voices in lamentation,
Crying out for mercy, for healing, for peace.
Let the rains come to quench the flames,
To restore the land and renew the earth.
May new life spring forth from the ashes,
And hope rise from the devastation.
Hear our lament, O God of all creation,
Bring us strength to rebuild, to restore.
In the wake of fire, let your light shine,
Guiding us through the darkness, toward a brighter dawn.
To Enjoy God 