Today’s first reading is a bit frightening. It begins with consolation, but quickly turns to rebuke: “You alone have I favored, more than all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your crimes” (Amos 3:2). God expects more of those to whom He gives more, and the Israelites have been given far more than any other nation. God goes on to point out how obvious He has been making His messages, compelling the prophets to speak His warnings, but because the Israelites have ignored them, the Lord will not spare them any longer: “So now I will deal with you in my own way, O Israel! and since I will deal thus with you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel” (Amos 4:12).
When Scripture speaks of the Lord allowing evil, it is referring to God’s permissive will, permitting but not directly causing evil in order to bring about good. Evil is directly caused by sinful man or by demons, not God. The Lord is saying that He has allowed the Israelites to experience disasters, and that He intends to continue to allow them to undergo trial. They have to prepare to “meet their maker,” as He is going to directly intervene.
Knowing that we have no place to stand before God, we should tremble at these words of rebuke. He is telling us to turn to Him now, while we are still being warned, in sorrow and contrition. As He allows the evil, He also brings the good.
The Gospel gives us a model of this turning to God. Jesus is asleep, allowing His disciples to experience a brutal storm at sea. About to drown, the disciples cry out, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” (Matt. 8:25). Unlike the Israelites, who receive the Word and ignore it, the disciples have Jesus nearby and decide to wake Him up. Of course, He is aware of everything that is happening. He is asleep, but He is not absent. He is waiting for the disciples to ask for help. He wants them to be prepared to meet their God.
So too for us. God allows calamity to befall us. We cannot say that evil catches Him by surprise, or that it is not included in His plan for creation. Though He does not directly will evil, He always knew that creation would go through Original Sin to the Cross to the Resurrection. But we must turn to the Cross to be saved; we cannot simply look at it and then do what we like. Jesus is always with us, but we must be prepared to meet Him when He decides to reveal Himself to us.
Daily Reading
Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for the Independence Day Reading 1 Am 7:10-17 Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent word to Jeroboam,king of Israel:“Amos has conspired against you here within Israel;the country cannot endure…
Saint of the Day
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is a saint for the modern world, and especially for the young people of our time. A “man of the beatitudes,” as Pope John Paul II called him at his beatification ceremony. He was described by friends as “an explosion of joy.”
The post Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati appeared first on uCatholic.