Lord, When Someone is Sick or Terrible Things Happen to Them . . . What Did They Do to Deserve This?

Lord, When Someone is Sick or Terrible Things Happen to Them . . . What Did They Do to Deserve This? Have you ever experienced a rough patch or a miserable time? Have you then ever asked . . . what did I ever do to deserve this? Today’s Gospel answers these questions! In the Gospel, people reported to Jesus about a tragedy that had happened. The question that lingers is . . . what did they do to bring this upon themselves? It’s a question almost everyone has . . .when something terrible happens. Its not normally a question one askes about another . . . it normally is asked when bad things happen . . . .to us. A few generations ago, there was an American-Protestant Work Effort. It came from a certain strain of Protestant thinking. The idea was that before you were born . . . before any single individual was born . . . they were pre-destined either for Heaven . . . or for Hell. The idea was you would experience and move through life . . . but the end result was predestined. People would go through life looking for signs on whether they were going the right way. To see if they were on the right path. The signs they looked for were material prosperity, or blessings. So, what did people do? They worked very hard to obtain the sign(s) they were moving the right way! Note the attitude and thought process! If you were blessed . . . it must say something about how good you are! If you were prosperous, clearly God’s favor is upon you! The implication is if you were not, that you know what that means! Hear more within the Homily. If you know hardship, there must be something wrong with you! If you bear the cross of illness, then it must mean there is something wrong with you! Furthermore, if your business fails . . . there is something wrong with you! If your marriage fails . . . there must be something wrong with you! . . . What Did They Do to Deserve This? This is the issue that Jesus addresses in the Gospel. Two thousand year before the American-Protestant Work Effort movement . . . Jesus addresses these thoughts and statements! Funny, humans forget this . . .the statements Jesus tells us! For most of Human History, almost every culture in the world viewed the ideas endorsed by the A-P Work Effort movement. The weak, the sick, the sufferings are looked upon as though their value is less, and your life is not as good because you are not successful. Jesus, in the Gospel, speaks to this reality. A reality that is all to alive . . .even today. Interesting: The single highest occurrence or reason stated in assisted suicide is not because of the suffering. It’s because they do not want to be a burden. They identify themselves as nothing more than a burden. Jesus Answers These Questions It’s the same attitudes that are lingering with the questions that are brought to Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus answers these questions! Jesus says if you think you are well off is a sign that God loves you . . . you are wrong. If you think people who experience bad things are not loved by God . . . you are wrong. If you think one group of people are more guilty than another because something terrible happened to them . . .you are wrong! The only thing you can take away from these terrible things is people do not know when their lives will be taken from them. So, what are you doing with your life? The Lord Himself shows us the importance of this Gospel on Good Friday. How are they connected? This is explained within the Homily. With this context, listen to the Gospel and Homily. Listen to this Meditation Media.