Pray for Us

Today I opted to spend the night in contemplation, partly because there was no Catholic Students Society (CSS) meeting today; also, I felt that it has been awhile since I took time to sit and reflect on the marvels God has done.

I started with a short opening prayer following up with the Taize – a form of meditative prayer – ‘Bless the Lord My Soul’. While in His presence extolling His Name and mercy, I suddenly thought of the people of people in Japan, the recent disaster which struck them, and the turmoil the nation is going through. I also recalled a video post I saw a few days before, whereby the recording person greatly approved of the tsunami that engulfed the eastern part of the country which caused even the nuclear reactors to leak. The person went further and even hoped that God would orchestrate similar events elsewhere in the West.

As I thought of this, I shifted my conversation midway and asked the Lord, why did this happen? Some even believe it is a sign, Your wrath poured out towards the people of Japan. They seem delighted, praising Your Name joyfully because of the sadness it brought, and even hope that more such disasters would happen so that “people would know that You are God.”

Yet the God I know does not take pleasure in seeing the people He created perish. They – Your people – say You are Compassion and Love, patient and abounding in mercy. You do not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults, and that it is You who forgives all our trespasses.

So, why? Did You allow the event to happen to show that You are God? Is it because of their sins, just as it was in Sodom? Is the Hour of Your return close at hand? In the Old Testament the people delighted in watching their enemies slain before them. Is this event a similar sign as then?

Would not even more people doubt your goodness, turning their backs to you rather than turning back to you? Where then, they will question, is Your Compassion? Where then is Your Love? Your Mercy? Your Forgiveness?

I admit that I myself was beginning to question God’s qualities slightly – how evil can the Japanese be? Surely not as bad as the radicals in the Middle East? They (the Japanese) may have weird precepts and culture, and may practice controversial actions that many would label as queer, but overall they are nice people. Majority of them had never heard of Your Name nor Your precepts – are they not then innocent? And even if that is not the case, would You, in Your mercy, not have spared the children?

As I continued praying, I felt the Lord answering me in the words of Luke 13:1-5:

1. Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3. I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4. What of those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were guiltier than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5. I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

It was as though Jesus was saying to me through this words, do you think the Japanese were worse sinners because of this tragedy? No. Unless they believe, and unless you believe, you will perish.

God treats everyone equally. Even the saints, both old and new were not spared from the afflictions of this world. History recorded on several occasions intense persecution, amounting to the mass murder of Christians around the world. And today, it has become the largest religious institution in the world.

Looking past the curtain, it could even hint towards a sliver of mercy. When the tsunami hit Aceh in 2004, the devastation it caused was staggering. The nation, underdeveloped as it is, was not prepared for such a disaster which sealed the lives of more than 100,000 in the country alone.

Japan however, is used to occasional rumblings of their geographic region. Earthquake drills are held as frequent as once a month. Added with their relatively strong economy and advanced development, they are one of the most prepared countries to face such a catastrophe. Had God planned for this event to take place, He would have known the country’s ability to cope with the disaster. And, as it is, the death toll is significantly lower compared to the one in Indonesia.

God loved His people, yet did not spare them from the portion of Christ’s suffering. Saint Paul conveyed the following to the believers: Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, provided we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:17).

With these thoughts taken into consideration, I decided to end my prayer as thus:

Saint Michael, pray for us
Saint Timothy, pray for us
Saint Elizabeth, pray for us
Holy Mary, pray for us

Ora pro nobis, ora pro nobis

Juan Diego, pray for us
Catharine Drexel, pray for us
Saint Francis, pray for us
Saint Lucy, pray for us

Ora pro nobis, ora pro nobis

Saint Nicholas, pray for us
Saint Cecilia, pray for us
Saint Joseph, pray for us
Saint Gabriel, pray for us

Ora pro nobis, ora pro nobis
Ora pro nobis, ora pro nobis

- Matt Maher, Litany of the Saints.

PS: I decided to change my referencing format slightly following the APA method since it is the choice style for my Academic Writing subject XD.

RFG always.