Turkey, Greece, and Taiwan! Thousands of lives lost in very big
earthquakes! Floods, huge forest fires, mud slides, hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms!
All per chance? All usual? All normal?
According to meteorologists, the world has had more devastating disasters
in the last 10 years than what was had accumlatively in the previous eighty years.
Coincidence? El Nino? El Nina?
Science always tries to find a logical and natural reason. People who
live by Faith and know that God has control of everything look beyond mere human reason. They look to
God; they look for spiritual reasons.
Afterall, it is God Who made the climates, the seasons, the wind, the
earth, the oceans, the sun. NOTHING HAPPENS BY ACCIDENT. All is within the Providence of God and is
either His direct Will or within His permissive Will.
So what should a Christian see in all of the disasters that are
occurring? Strange as it may seem, they should first of all see the MERCY of God.
Once when Mother Teresa was asked why God took so many lives in a certain
earthquake (I think in India), she replied: “Because they were ready!”
It may seem unbelievable that what appears to be terrible to us, may be
an act of God’s Mercy. This will be shown to us clearly when we ourselves are in eternity.
A spiritual person sees and hears God in everything about him. He sees
God in the beauty of a flower, in the sweet kiss of a cool breeze, in the strong wind of a hurricane
and in the shaking of the earthquake.
As the world of today grows increasingly away from God by sin, apostasy,
self-complacence and self-deification, God may well “speak” louder to be heard.
The God of 1999 is the same God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. He is
intricately and intimately involved in our lives and wants to be. He is not a way out in the
clouds somewhere looking down on us from afar. God is a loving Father, Who cares about each one of
His children and their salvation. Sometimes a good parent must do unpleasant things to TEACH his
children.
In the Old Testament the Israelites were faithful to God for a time, fell
into sin, were punished by God, became faithful again (for awhile) and then the cycle occurred again and
again.
I remember reading the whole Bible when I was in high school. I couldn’t
understand why the Israelites never seemed to learn by this cycle.
I think we continue this history.
How can the world grow increasingly away from God without God’s
intervening to wake the world up as to its evil?
Our God is a Good God! He goes after the sheep that are lost. He
doesn’t rest until He has found His lost sheep.
I think we shall continue to see more disasters. That is my opinion.
They may well grow in severity and extensiveness.
Our role is to remain faithful to God, receive the Sacraments frequently,
remain in His Grace and pray for ourselves and others. But not to be afraid!
God is in control. And He loves us!
May He bless you!