Exiit qui seminat

At first glance, the Lord's total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah due to their wickedness seems antithetical to what we know about God and what is spoken of Him in Sacred Scripture. Why would a good, gracious and merciful God wipe out an entire land or an entire people? But a much deeper look in the Old Testament tells us a different story, because in truth, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah isn't "total". The Navarre Bible Commentary on the Book of Genesis states, "The final outcome of this episode shows that, even though he destroys these cities, God saves the righteous who live in them. God does not punish the just man along with the sinner (as Abraham thought): a person is allowed to perish or is saved depending on personal behaviour" (The Navarre Bible - Pentateuch page 107). It's the same exact thing when God commands the total destruction of other nations like the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites in the Book of Deuteronomy. While societal sin exits, we are judged ultimately as individuals and whether we are faithful to God. I think this is particularly important as we reflect on our own time and age. Everything in the world seems to be the exact opposite of what the Lord wants. While we speak out about the injustice and immorality that exists in the world that we live (and rightfully so), it can't distract or prevent us from living our lives righteously, justly and faithfully to our Lord and God. If the world around us is falling apart, its still our responsibility to be faithful and holy. For in the end, we truly know that sin and death, as well as everything else that goes along with it, has already been conquered by the saving action of our Savior.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Rob Sinatra