In the twentieth century Teilhard de Chardin spoke of harnessing the energies of love as a new discovery of fire: “The day will come when, after harnessing the ether, the winds, the tides, gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And, on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.” Through the super convergence of energies, Teilhard saw the birthing of Christ, the unity of all things in love, as the goal of the universe. If we truly believe that matter is holy, then we must act to make Christ alive as oneness-in-love. Compassion is love that enkindles; it raises the dead to life and renews the power of love. To have compassion, we must believe in the power of love.
—from the book Compassion: Living in the Spirit of St. Francis
by Ilia Delio, OSF
