If you survive winter in WNY to see Spring’s dawning and maple syrup season, one of the perks you can enjoy is a short road trip to Short Tract for pancakes at Cartwright’s. Last week, Sandy and I were about half-way there when my pickup flashed the dreaded (and inevitably expensive) ‘check engine light.’
The first thing I said when I saw the light doesn’t bear repeating; the second thing I said was something along the lines of, “Why me?”
A better question is this: why do we imagine that misfortune – everything from burnt toast to natural disasters and all points in between – is a cosmic verdict of judgment against us? And it’s not just us, throughout human history people have attributed misfortune to divine disfavor.
In the Gospel lesson assigned for this weekend, people tell Jesus about some Galilean Jews who were killed by Pilate, apparently while they were at worship! Jesus says clearly that these folks weren’t singled out by God to become victims of political violence because they were particularly bad sinners. Pilate, not God, is the one responsible for their suffering.
Jesus then reminds the crowd of another calamity that had been in the news – a tower that fell, killing eighteen people. Insurance companies might call a tower that collapses an ‘act of God,’ but Jesus didn’t. He denied that those killed by the falling tower were being punished by God for their sinfulness.
Jesus comes through loud and clear: tragedy is not a sign that the one suffering misfortune is a worse sinner than the rest of us ordinary sinners. Nor should we be so quick to imagine that life’s hardships (whether small or great) are inflicted on us by God. “Why me?” is not a helpful question, even if it’s one we can’t help asking in our pain or anger.
The more pertinent question is this: how should I be spending this fragile and fleeting life? Jesus tells us that the crisis we face is not that life is short, but that God’s Kingdom is near and therefore our urgent mission is doing God’s will ‘on earth as it is in heaven.’
Prayer: Keep me mindful that this day is a gift and so are each of the people who populate my life. Help me live today like Jesus, giving myself away in love. Amen.