A grand scale catastrophe overtook the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in today’s first reading for mass and that’s probably an understatement. We’ve seen television shows about volcanoes that erupt and bury the inhabitants of places like Pompeii, but that is as close to we can get to visualizing what actually occurred at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The first reading from Genesis today doesn’t explain that Lot had unknowingly taken in the two angels as guests in his home and then he protected them from mistreatment by the inhabitants of Sodom who were evil and perverted. In several other places in the bible men encountered angels without knowing who they were either. There are many accounts of angels visiting people in our day and age too, so we shouldn’t shrug off this account of the angels as just a quaint story from ancient times. The angels are real and our protectors in modern times as well.
What is odd about the first reading today is that the angels told Lot and his family to run for their life, to run to the hills. Why in the world would Lot argue with an angel when he was trying to save his life? Lot didn’t want to run to the hills of all things. He wanted to run to a nearby town. And if you think about it, Lot left the country and went to live in the city, but that seems a pretty petty thing to think of in the middle of imminent destruction when your life is in danger. Maybe it is because he still wanted to live in a city and not the country like his uncle Abraham. It’s a good thing the angel spared the small city of Zoar, but it seems a little rude to ask for a favor like that from an angel trying to save your life.
Obedience wasn’t one of Lot’s strong points and it certainly wasn’t his wife’s either. She just couldn’t resist the impulse to look back. Kind of like how Eve just couldn’t resist the desire to eat the forbidden fruit, but this time God did not spare Lot’s wife life it was such a serious offense. Obedience is something that is very hard for many adults. A lot of suffering could be avoided if we simply obeyed what God asks of us the first time, instead of learning our lessons the hard way.
Even the elements obeyed Christ in the gospel reading today though. The sea itself and the strong winds obeyed the Lord. Who are we to balk at what Jesus asks of us? The universe itself is at his command. Remember at our Lord’s crucifixion, there was an eclipse of the sun at the moment Jesus died? The power of God is beyond anything we can even begin to imagine. Even the fish in the sea obeyed Christ and yet so many human beings rejected him. They still do. But for those of us who do love and accept Jesus, he is our refuge and safe harbor against the storms of our lives. What would we do without him? Even in today’s gospel reading, Jesus chided his disciples for their lack of trust in him, when they thought the waves were going to sink their boat and they were going to drown. It makes you wonder how Jesus could have slept through a storm of that magnitude though. Perhaps he already knew what was going on? Maybe it was to show his disciples that he even commanded the forces of nature and they could trust him, that he really was the son of God. I guess we will never know the details of this story but it is pretty awesome that Jesus calmed the forces of nature and took care of those he loved. Will he do no less with us? Why are we afraid of so many things that are out of our control too?
Many of us live in fear of a great catastrophe happening to us like a car wreck, a tornado, a flood or fire or any number of things like this. Yes these things do happen, but it is out of our control if they occur. Whatever should happen to us, Jesus is with us through it all and we should trust him in all the circumstances of our lives. Both of the readings for mass today show us we are never alone during our trials. God cares for us and Jesus accompanies us throughout all the trials of own our own life’s journey.
