Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Fire!

Isaiah's words about his vision of the Heavenly Temple became a reality for us today: "And the room was filled with smoke."
A vigil candle, left unattended in chapel (my oversight) turned a chubby round candleholder into the baseball from hell this morning, setting off the smoke alarm. Hearing the alarm, I found myself asking, "Where would a fire most likely break out?" I knew the answer: it had to be chapel. Sure enough. I was the first one on the scene (I really was on my way out, really). There was the culprit, right by the tabernacle, emitting clouds of soot and smoke. Unable to blow the thing out, I managed to first open a Michigan Avenue window (knocking over a kneeler and books in the process), and then yelled, "Look out, below!" and I hurled the ball of fire onto the sidewalk (praying earnestly that no one was walking by; thank God, no one was). Then I shakily picked up my cell phone from where it had fallen. It was coated in grime. So were the kneelers, the chairs, the hymnals, the altar cloth, the windowsills....
We have a bit of clean-up to do now...
and Bible study on that same floor of the building this evening. ("Everyone, wipe down your chair and place at table before sitting...)

5 comments:

harv681 said...

You were very lucky that opening the window didn't turn the (relatively) small fire into a real inferno! St. Florian must have been on the job!

Anonymous said...

Awwww Sister! Jesus told Bl. Alberione that HE was going to enlighten from the tabernacle - I don't think you were supposed to light it! Lol!

So glad that things weren't any worse and that no pedestrians were injured!

Blessings-
Dawn

Anonymous said...

HOLY SMOKE

Anonymous said...

"We have a bit of cleanup to do now". Any volunteers?

debangel said...

oh, Sister Anne! I hate to laugh since you must have been scared, but BWAHAHAHAHA. :::wipes eyes::: The "look out below!" is what put me over the edge! You have a terrific sense of humor! At least it wasn't Ash Wednesday ;)

(Don't feel bad..in HS chemistry, I once set a Bunsen Burner on fire. Yep, you read that correctly.)