Chastisement

I said Mass yesterday (privately again--long story!), and used the Mass for in a "Time of Civil Disturbance". In this Mass, we pray for the destruction of those who are trying to destroy us. I applied this Mass for the current situation in my home state of Missouri, and all the other states where abortion is either legal or in the process of becoming so.

The Post-Communion prayer for this Mass is amazingly powerful. I include it here for your encouragement:

O God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, Who dost heal us by Thy chastisement, and by Thy pardon dost preserve us; we beseech Thee to show forth upon us Thy mercy; that peace and tranquility being restored by Thy power, we may use the same to the amendment of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In times when it appears we are unable to turn the tide of evil spreding across the world, it is good for us to remember that the "chastisements" that God sends to our nation are for our healing. We often see them only as a painful experience that we wish to avoid, yet, the Church teaches us clearly that this perspective is wrong. The chastisements can help us in our faith, and when God restores things afterwards we can find greater holiness.

When we go through pain and suffering, it is not merely a bad thing that God wants to stop. In fact, sometimes He wants the pain and suffering to continue. Not because He hates us, but because He loves us; as hard as that may be to understand. The wonderful thing about "chastisements" that come from the Lord and the blessings that follow them is that we can use them for amending our lives. I did not say--please notice--that we "will" use them, but that we "can" use them.

So those of us who can see the possibility of God punishing the nation of America for her idolatry and immorality, should not sit back in fear. Yes, it may be painful for us as well (as often God's people have to suffer for the sake of the world), but that is not always a bad thing. While we in Missouri fret about a recent Amendment (3) which passed, we should be more concerned with the amendment of our lives. The faithfulness of God's people is a blessing to the world, and the unfaithfulness of God's people leads to curses for the world.