Tuesday June 30, 2009

Tuesday June 30, 2009 The First martyrs of The Catholic Church

Readings: Genesis 19: 15-29 Psalm 26: 2-3, 9-12 Matthew 24: 4-13
Response: “O Lord, Your mercy is before our eyes.

This story of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction follows after Abraham implored God to spare the cities of the plain if only ten good men could be found. Failing, Lot, his wife and two daughters were led safely out of the town and urged to flee to the hills. Lot was old and offered he was too weak to travel very far so he asked the angel to allow them to go to a nearby city named Zoar. They were warned not to look back on the destruction God rained down but curiosity got the best of Lot’s wife. She turned to look back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Lot and his daughters made it to Zoar .
Scholars are not sure where the area destroyed was exactly. The traditional area is at the southwest of the Dead Sea where there is evidence of mounds of salt as far as the eye can see.
We may conjecture as to the cause of the destruction by God. Some say the debauchery of the townsfolk wanting to have intercourse with the men visiting Lot was such an abomination,; others say the abuse of the tradition of hospitality was abridged, an unforgivable sin in the culture of the time.
Our society leans more and more in favor of same sex coupling and other diversions from God’s, plan for man and woman. Are we in for some devastating disaster?

The psalmist implores the Lord for His test of fidelity to His direction. He does what the Law says religiously and doesn’t deserve the punishment meted out by God on a sinful generation.

Before concluding his Gospel with the examples of charity desired by God, He warns us there will be attempts to dissuade them from the path of righteousness. We are to be the example to others and ourselves of the correct way and stick to it.
With warnings of many disasters to befall the human system, Jesus will go on to direct us in the way He would want us to be Him to others in Chapter 25.
If you do what God wants and put your own ideas to the side, you will experience the words of Christ, “ The righteous will enter into eternal life!”