Readings: Exodus 3:1-8A, 13-15; Psalm 103, 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9
I retired from the Salt River Project in 2015 and for a time I worked for the Arizona Department of Emergency Management (ADEM). ADEM is the State level FEMA that responds to declarations of a State of Emergency declared by the Governor or the POTUS. On September 15, 2015, there was a flash flood in the twin cities of Colorado City, Arizona/Hillsdale, Utah. Sixteen people died in this flash flood and there was widespread damage through the area. These tight-knit communities went into deep grief of the loss of their family members.
The people who live in these communities are almost entirely members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church (FLDS). One of the most striking aspects of this religion is the practice of polygamy. Without getting into the details of this practice, suffice it to say that as a result of plural marriages there are many social problems and violations of the standards of human rights that American society aspires.
When the ADEM office got involved in the reparations of the devastation caused by this flood it was hard for me to refrain from making judgments about the lifestyle of the people in this community, especially the men in this community. I tried not to let it impact my efficiency in doing my job to; assess damage, develop repair strategies, and make estimates of the cost to repair this community. Regardless of my judgments, some of the elders of this community were directly affected by the loss of life, and one could not help feeling compassion for the grief that many were going through while they struggled to put their community back together.
As in any tragic event caused by a natural disaster we struggle to find God in the midst of this suffering and ask, “Is the Lord in our midst or not.” (Exodus 17:7) If “The Lord is kind and merciful,” (Psalm 103) then where do we find God in the midst of suffering? Many may try to make sense of these tragic events by rationalizing that God is punishing these people because they are sinful. Jesus’ response to these judgments is, “By no means!” Not wanting to lose the opportunity to call people to greater holiness, Jesus adds, “But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did.” In the case of the citizens in the Twin Cities, everyone living there at the time of the flood was born and raised within that community and under its practices. This begs the question, “How would I practice my faith if I were raised in Colorado City or Hillsdale, Utah?” If I say I am a Catholic, should I not practice Jesus command to not judge?
This week there have been fresh examples of the tragic loss of life in the world. Perhaps I should focus on how I can practice compassion, service in the face suffering, and refrain from making judgments about people I have not met or people I don’t even know. If I want to avert suffering closer to home perhaps I “should repent of my own sinfulness if I do not want to perish as they did!” (CF Luke 13) Let us trust that our beliefs are based on a God who is the great “I AM” who witnesses the affliction of people wherever they are and whatever they may have done and responds with a promise save them, even if it means saving them (and us) from ourselves.
Lets us never forget the God is kind and merciful. God is a God that forgives all our iniquities and heals our ills. He redeems our lives from destruction, crowns us with kindness and compassion. Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness in kindness. As the heavens are high above the earth so surpassing is his kindness towards those who revere him. (CF Psalm 103) And when we enter a place of suffering we should take our shoes off, for we are then on holy ground because God is there with his people.
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