by Fr. Bill Garrison
We are mired in a pandemic, stuck at home with probably too much time on our hands. I have been expecting to hear the cries of those who theorize they understand the reason for what is happening and sure enough, they are beginning to make themselves heard. Here is the basic message. “God is mad or God is tired of being ignored and has left us to our own devices. We brought this on ourselves because we are bad people.”
To start our discussion here is a Bible verse speaking to just this subject.
“At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, ‘Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.’”
The message is pretty clear. What kind of people they were had nothing to do with their fate. Stuff happens. All are judged equally. Each of us need the forgiveness of God, none more or less than another. What happens in life has nothing to do with our character or our actions. Life can be wonderful and it can be hard, but God is not pulling the strings.
Instead I would submit that God suffers when we suffer. God cares deeply about us and, as Jesus did at the death of Lazarus, sheds tears in empathy and compassion during our sorrows.
God is on our side folks. God loves us in ways we cannot possibly understand. The pandemic is the pandemic. It has nothing to do with God other than the fact that God joins us in our sorrow for the suffering and those who love them.