Ps34
Jn 3:31-36
". . . but whoever disobeys the Son
will not see life,
but the wrath of God
remains upon him."
"the wrath of God"
I suspect a number of us here, when asked how we felt in the
midst of a severe cold, or the throes of a nasty hangover, or after flying for 24
hours have responded, "like the wrath of God." Unfortunately, in the cavalier use of the
statement, "the wrath of God" we see the multiple problems associated
with translation combined with the evolution of language and use of language. What is the wrath of God? Perhaps it is better to begin with the
question what isn't the wrath of God?
It isn't that strength-sapping diffuse muscle soreness that
accompanies the flu. Nor is it the
screaming pain in your chest upon awakening from bypass surgery. Alas, because of the frequent colloquial use
of the term, we must be certain that we don't understand the wrath of God as
the spiteful anger of a vindictive God. That
we don't envision a God who withholds His love while hurling thunderbolts of
punishment aimed specifically at us.
Jesuit Father Stanley Marrow noted that "the wrath of
God is the judgment that is consequent upon the rejection of God's
love." It sounds as if one could
argue or a vindictive God but then Father Marrow goes on to elaborate.
"A gift, even a divine gift, is not a gift unless it is
freely accepted. If the gift is eternal
life, rejecting it can only mean death. The
rejection of the free gift is a judgment." It is important to remember that the rejection
of God's gift, the rejection of God, is our choice. It is this rejection that Scripture calls the
wrath of God. Fr. Marrow makes a
startling observation. Even God stands helpless before rejection by a creature
he created to be free. Our rejection of
God's gift of life makes the Creator of All Life helpless.
The wrath of God is not an angry punishment directed at us
for misbehaving. Rather, the wrath of
God is the punishment we direct at ourselves when we reject the gift of eternal
life in favor of the culture of death.
My last weekend in Ljubljana was marked by chaotic weather conditions. There was some snow on the drive in from Maribor on Friday. It was raining when we got to Ljubljana. The rain changed to snow overnight on Friday. Saturday dawned spectacularly sunny with a few inches of snow on the ground. Within ninety minutes of my departing the community with camera in hand the sky clouded up, fog began to descend and, as I was just returning to the house, a fine drizzle began. By Sunday AM that drizzle had turned into a downpour. such is the weather there. The following photos represent the end of a three-hour expedition in central Ljubljana with the fog serving as a natural light filter.
Tivoli Park and Castle is a pleasant walk from the community. It is very close to the American Embassy. All the paths to the castle were closed off. Would like to get some photos from the front looking down on the path that serves as the main entry.
The long view. There was an exhibit of architectural photographs of various places in Ljubljana. I spent quite a bit of time looking at it. Beautifully done.
A few of the photographs on display.
The view looking back toward the city center. I took these photos some time before noon. The fog was filtering out most of the sunlight.
Ljubljana Castle overlooks the city. It looks more like a classic castle. It was part of the view from my room. This is the very center of Ljubljana.
A Blessed Easter Season
+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD
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