A Correction of a Common Belief

SABBATH

 

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed about 226,000 people. It devastated, among other places, the beach resort at Phuket in Thailand, famous not only for its beauty but also famous for its blossoming prostitution. When the news came, one could hear comments like, “That’s God’s punishment for the sins committed there.” But what about the innocent people living in Phuket and other countries hit by the tsunami? And what about the criminals who survived? It was a common belief among Jesus’ contemporaries to think that disasters are God’s punishment for sins — a belief Jesus declares as false in today’s Gospel reading. Accidents, disasters and tragedies just happen and we should never judge those hit by them as sinners. During the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the archbishop of Port-au-Prince, many priests and most seminarians were killed while many non-Catholics survived under the rubble. Was the archbishop a greater sinner than those who survived? In the end, we are judged not by our biased fellowmen but by a just God. And according to which criteria will God judge us? One is surely by our practice of charity or lack of it. Another is according to our usefulness or uselessness. And that’s the message of the parable Jesus tells in the second part of today’s Gospel. If the fig tree would not bear fruit in a year’s time, it would be cut down because it is useless. So many times Jesus spoke about the importance of bearing fruit — or else…! Sounds threatening, and surely it is. But as usual, Jesus adds a note of hope to the threat. The man in charge of the tree begs the owner of the vineyard to give the tree another chance. And that’s good news indeed. God is not like a policeman who hides somewhere to catch the unaware violator of a traffic rule. No, God warns through Christ again and again. Not only that, God gives us also one chance after the other because He does not want the death of the sinner but that he changes and lives. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD   Reflection Question: Do I take for granted when God gives me another chance to change my life for the better?   Lord, thank You for Your kind warnings and for giving me so many chances to change and avoid offending You. If only I had heeded these warnings and made use of the chances You gave me!   St. Mary Salome, pray for us.