Wrong Question?

The terrible calamities that killed thousands and injured many more while at the same time destroying the environment and buildings including churches often make people utter in pain and dismay. “Is this God’s will?”, “Doesn’t God love us?” or many expressions of similar tone.. For many of us there are no satisfactory answers. We just don’t know exactly. Faith demands just a simple trust.

But many of us do try to reflect deeply and discern God’s will with the aid of the Holy Spirit. One of my friends sent me an email with a suggestion that makes me think. It’s an insightful question. She says maybe we should change the question. Maybe God, who knows us better than we know ourselves, is calling our attention with these calamities. So she suggests the question should be, “Do I/We really love God?”. Now there … is not that a striking question? Can we in all honesty answer YES?

When love is real there is no sin, no fault, no offense, no violation, no omission… against God. We would be liars if we say otherwise. Even Pope Francis said publicly, “I am a sinner”. We do too in every Mass we attend or celebrate where we say, “…that I have greatly sinned … through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault…”. I wonder if those in high echelons of government and their accomplices who committed the pork barrel scams are disturbed in their conscience. Their crimes are no doubt heinously offensive to the Lord.

The point my friend was making in her email is that the accumulation of sins and crimes of all sorts has so reached the level of Sodom and Gomorra that it angered God. No one is exempted; no one is sinless. Everyone including infants is born with the originating sin. So He calls our attention through the calamities and crimes.

Yes, in justice God condemns sinners but in mercy He forgives them. So my friend went on to recommend national healing through national repentance. She suggested we pray the prayer of Solomon who asked God to forgive the sins of the people when they repent (1 Kings 8:22-53).