MANILA, Philippines - It is heart-wrenching to see on TV the rescuers racing against time to save helpless people pinned under collapsed walls, hit by debris, or buried by landslides caused by a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake in the Negros Island.
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What was dramatically heartbreaking was a girl in La Libertad, Negros Oriental, who phoned for help seconds before tons of soil flattened their houses. Hoping against hope, rescue workers frantically dug the location and unearthed the poor girl but sadly, she died - still clutching her cell phone.
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The death of the girl along with more than 50 casualties and thousands of devastated properties bring us to the question: Why does a good God allow this to happen? Is He some kind of a sadist, seeing with some kind of twisted pleasure people die or suffer?
Our groping theological answer is, these "tantrums" of Nature or "acts of God" are part of our imperfect world broken by Original Sin.
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Still this does not satisfy human reason, considering the death of numerous INNOCENT people against the image of a merciful and loving God.
It would be more understandable if it was the evil and corrupt people that perished. We would say they got their just desserts!
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UNJUST SUFFERING. This highlights the mystery of unjust and undeserved suffering. It is a problem that cannot be solved but a mystery to be lived.
Think of the unjust sufferings of the righteous Job in the Old Testament. After he lost his cattle, properties, and finally children to earthquakes and other calamities, he could still say, "God gives. God takes away."
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This unjust suffering is also shown graphically in the passion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ. But it was through His suffering that He saved us.
Jesus is as though saying, "If I don't take away all your sufferings, it is not because I can not do it, or because I do not love you enough. But buried deep within the human nature is the reality that fulfillment comes from the PASSAGE to life through suffering and death. All I can do is to tell you this... then ask you to follow me and have faith in Me."
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FALSE TEXT MESSAGES. Fears, apprehensions, and even panic could have been prevented in places hit by the earthquake if only mischievous people were not spreading exaggerated, innacurate, and patently false informations about strong tsunami and aftershocks through cell phones. Imagine, poor victims have been subjected to a lot of grief and worries already and still be bombarded by alarming disinformation.
Although it may be difficult to trace the malicious sources, the police and other authorities concerned should go after them or receivers of such messages should report to their local officials.
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YOU'RE INVITED... to a pilgrimage to Eastern Europe on May 20-June 3, 2012 - Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, and France. Worth visiting is Wadowice, Poland, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II; the Shrine of Saint Faustina in Cracow, renowned for her visions of Jesus the Divine Mercy.
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For inquiries, call Broadway Travel, Inc., at 465 United Nations Avenue, Manila (cf. tel. directory) or e-mail: mailbox@broadwaytravelph.com. I will serve as chaplain.
