The first reading of
today’s liturgy, Gen. 19: 15-29, tells of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
and the angel of the Lord urging Lot to leave before it was too late. “‘On your way! Take with your wife and your
two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of Sodom.’
When he hesitated, the men, by the Lord’s mercy, seized his hands and the hands
of his wife and his two daughters and led them to safety outside the city.”
Sometimes, the Lord has
to say to us through his “angels,” “On your way!” The Lord may be saying: “Don’t say that.
Move away from this way of thinking, leave this situation, separate from this
crowd or this couple or this relationship before poisonous fumes suffocate you,
consume you, burn you.” As with Lot, at
times we may hesitate and need someone to grab us and walk us away from
situations that are not spiritually healthy for us. There may be times like these when we
strongly react, saying “Leave me alone. I know what I am doing. Don’t tell me what to do or where to go!”
Spiritual warfare takes
place frequently, if not daily. Without a
large dose of humility, lots of courage, a “bowlful” of wisdom we, like Lot,
will resist the call of the Spirit to move on in our lives, to separate
ourselves from unhealthy environments, unhealthy relationships, spiritually-famined
attitudes and destructive behaviors.
As with Lot, who said to
the Lord “You have already thought enough of your servant to do me the great
kindness of intervening to save my life,” the Trinity also thought enough of
each of us to intervene by the Son of God becoming one of us, to live and die
for us, to show us the Trinity’s love for us.
We, too, are being saved from that which could destroy us spiritually: selfishness and pride, covetousness and
jealousy, envy and sloth that are capable of consuming us as the sulphurous
fire consumed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Lord, may I allow your “angels”
to lead me to safety when I am unwilling to do so on my own!
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