Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15
Ps 1031-4, 1-8, 11
1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12
Lk 13:1-9
The narrative of Moses and the burning bush is familiar. On first reading it seems odd that Moses had to ask God's name. However, the Jewish Study Bible explains that Moses was not raised with his people. He knew nothing of their religion. Kind of like too many children today whose parents fail to give them any religious instruction so as to "empower" them to choose on their own when they are older. Ignorance is not always bliss, sometimes it is pathetic.
Moses had to undergo a conversion, he had to learn, if he were to become the leader of the people. When he asked to whom he was speaking he was told: I AM. The Jewish Study Bible translates the Hebrew as "I Will Be What I Will Be." It goes on to explain that this means "My nature will become evident from My action." That nature did, indeed, become evident. Alas, the people didn't always get or appreciate that nature.
The gospel narrative is unique to Luke's gospel. What are we to make of it?
We have to ask the questions: why do bad things happen to good people? why do good things happen to bad people? The problem is that of theodicy, There is breathtaking arrogance inherent in the assumption that one can explain the problem of "theodicy," that one can explain why or how a loving God permits or allows evil, disaster, death and suffering. The angry "WHY?" the desperate WHY? have circled the globe since God created it. It will continue to circle the globe until the world ends.
One can hear Eve screaming WHY? after Cain murdered Abel.
One can imagine Noah shrieking WHY? when he surveyed the damage after the flood.
If we listen closely we can hear ourselves groaning WHY? at the illness or death of a loved one, the loss of home and possessions through fire or flood, or the confrontation with mortality upon realizing: I am dying. WHY? is perhaps the most frequently recited prayer in all of Ukraine at present.
Jesus' examples of bad things happening to good people are challenging because there is no historical record for them. Yes, Herod was a crazed megalomaniac who did evil sadistic things so as to maintain absolute control of his kingdom. The parallel with Putin is hard to miss. True, towers did collapse and kill people. Lust for money and construction collapses because contractors cut corners, continue today, as evidenced in Miami and the recent bridge collapse in PIttsburgh.
But, scholars cannot agree what the Tower of Siloam was. There is no historical record of a sacrifice of Galileans at worship--though today there are too many examples of Christians martyred at worship, and, based on recent history, there will be others. Jesus' examples were used to illustrate that evil, disaster, suffering, and death happen to both the bad and the good, the just and the unjust. The saying "only the good die young" is as appalling, inappropriate, and inaccurate a statement as was ever invented. Appalling is also applicable to the Billy Joel song of the same title but that will be the topic for a different homily.
Jesus repeats: "If you do not repent " twice in this short passage. That demand implies conversion of heart as well. Repentance and conversion are two sides of the same coin. Repentance is an interior act. Conversion is evidenced by a change of observable behavior emerging from the act of repentance. In His call to repentance Jesus is echoing the words of the prophets: Amos, Isaiah, Micah, and Ezekiel, each of whom preached repentance for sin and conversion of heart.
Their message was reinforced and amplified by John the Baptist whose baptism was not meant to be a simple cleansing. As detailed by Josephus, John's baptism was to be accompanied by conversion of life. Thus Jesus calls us to repent and open ourselves to the conversion that follows. Will bad things still happen in the world if we repent? Without a doubt. Will we still suffer? Of course, it is part of being human. Will we still experience pain, despite conversion of heart? Absolutely. The problem is not that bad things will happen to good people. The problem is the temptation to defiance toward God when bad things, pain, and suffering do happen. The problem is the attitude, "God, if you don't shape up I'm shipping out."
The reading from Paul's Letter to the Corinthians is a challenge on at least two levels.
First, it is edited. Chapter ten, verses one to six and ten to twelve. The four missing verses are important. They describe the kind of sin that called down punishment: idolatry, immorality, testing God. Sounds like twenty-first century American life marked by the idolatry of celebrity worship, the immorality of sex-change surgery and abortion. The testing of God through greed, and lethal materialism.
Second, there is no accounting for the fact that both those who are good and those who are evil undergo the same tests: suffering, death, and pain. I'm not sure Job would, or could, have taken much comfort from Paul.
We will never know why bad things happen to good people.
We will never know why good things happen to bad people.
That not knowing, and the frustration it causes, is part of the human condition. We've seen that frustration and anger playing out over the past two years of covid. Faith will temper pain and sorrow somewhat. Prayer will soothe the soul a bit. But in the end we will never be able to articulate the answers. Despite that uncertainty, despite the lack of answers, we are called to sing with the psalmist in faith and hope,
"The Lord is kind and merciful,
He pardons iniquities, heals all ills,
redeems lives from destruction,
secures justice,"
There is nothing to add to that.
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The photos are from an interesting drive along Rt 45 W in Central Pennsylvania on the way between my hometown and Penn State. Hairy John State park is along the way. When possible I stop just to wander a bit, look about, and maybe have some lunch at one of the picnic tables. This particular day was a cool dry one after a couple of days of rain. There were a few large puddles about. One of them was jammed with hundreds of butterflies wallowing and "splashing" in the water. Apparently muddy water is a way to get nutrients. Never saw anything like it before or since.
+ Fr. Jack, SJ, MD
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