2333AFC081823 – Heartbreaking news
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Isaiah 56:6c – 7
… all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant —
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
Psalm 67:4 –
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
Romans 11:29 – 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Matthew 15:24-28 – 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of 
Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! This has been another difficult week here in Hawaiʻi. For those of you who have expressed some concern for our home in Kapahi, we are A-OK. The Maui fires are about 215 miles from us. Nonetheless, we mourn those whose lives ended in such terrifying circumstances. Regrettably, there is already plenty of scapegoating going on – which is neither Aloha nor Pono – and many of the overly-entitled folks affected are blaming each other with hundreds of “yes-but” responses to each other. The bottom line for us is that whatever safeguards were in place to protect against a normal wildfire were insufficient for this extraordinary, cataclysmic day. Our island of Kauaʻi is drier than it could be, but so far we have not experienced any large fires. We are also watchful of storms in the mid-Pacific. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki surprised everyone by making an unexpected turn northward and decimating Kauaʻi.
The Maui event was exacerbated by Hurricane Dora, passing far to the south of us, and a huge high-pressure area north of us. That caused a pressure gradient that upped the winds to speeds of 80 mph over Maui. That is why the fire so quickly overran the town of Lahaina. So far, we on Kauaʻi are blessed to have only minor impacts from recent storms. Please continue your prayers for those who died, but even more so for those who have survived. There is a lot of anger brewing in the hearts of a few – note that, a few – who believe “the government” or some other public authority could have prevented it, and should have been onto the island within hours bringing them food, water, and protection. Instead, it took days, and that has become a serious point of contention. Their eyes are closed to the facts, and that is the invitation for evil to move in and stir up certain hearts that feel broken. At times like these we often hear, “How could God have allowed (or caused!) this?!? It just breaks my heart to see suffering like this!” One truly remarkable response to this disaster is that many survivors of the fires (there were several across the island) started sharing whatever they had with the people who had lost everything. They organized boats and went into the damaged areas of Lahaina with food, water, clothing and whatever resources they had. This is Aloha. This is pono (pono means goodness, uprightness, morality, moral qualities, correct or proper.) They were doing the works God commands for the poor – Corporal Acts of Mercy. (← Check it out!). .
Right off the bat, I am reminded of Psalm 147:3-5 –
3 He heals the brokenhearted,
and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
There are many people on Maui, and indeed across the globe, who have put their trust in God, gathering in prayer and worship and comforting one another. This only happens where Faith is based in the primacy of God. You may recall we have said that living in the house of God did not simply mean hanging out at the Temple or Church. “House” means family as in “the house and lineage of David.” If we look at the last two lines of our Key Verse from Isaiah, we read “… for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Those who are part of God’s family – heirs by inheritance as well as heirs by adoption – are a family of prayer by and for everyone – all Peoples. This is great news, because it means that once we give God primacy in all things, we are family, and family is community, and community is one of the Key Principles of the Absolutely Perfect Plan. Because of that, those who are in the Family of the Lord and who “walk according to his ways” benefit most from his leadership, his prodigious Gifts, and his Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, and Eternal Salvation through Christ our Lord.
I confess, none of that like sounds heartbreaking news. What is heartbreaking is when people abuse community, do not walk in his ways, seek their own counsel, and harm their community. We see a description of that in
Isaiah 65:1-2
I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,” * [behold]
to a nation that did not call on my name.
2 I held out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices …
*Behold – הִנֵּ֣נִי hin-nê-nî (↔ Click Link)
If we look out across the World with Love in our eyes, we see the World somewhat as God sees it. Seeing thus, we see what is truly heartbreaking news. Do you remember The Apostle Paul’s long list of persons who have no place in the Kingdom of God? Let me list that reference again, and I ask that as you to read each word, recall someone you know or whom you have seen that is described by that particular word. Here we go: 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – 9 Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.
- Fornicators – those who share the sexual embrace without matrimony, “consensual sexual intercourse between a man and especially a single woman who are not married to each other; “shacking up,” “hooking up; ” “just living together” “boyfriend + girlfriend = ‘friends with benefits'” (and often children).
- Idolators – all those folks who place anything at a higher station in their lives than they place God. “I’m not going to miss this game just because of Church!”
- Adulterers – even just in our hearts we can break the fidelity of matrimony.
- Male prostitutes and sodomites – these men have traded the natural for the unnatural; the same applies to those of the only other gender.
- Thieves – including those who turn to looting in the mistaken notion that they are entitled to someone else’s belongings.
- The greedy – one of the worst forms of idolatry where the acquiring and possessing of material things is the driving force to the life they lead.
- The revilers – oh, we have so many of these, especially in politics (seen any rallies on TV lately?), but also in sectarian, racial and ethnic prejudices, and violence as in Eastern Republic of Congo and Iran.
- Robbers – more than just thieves, robbers enter another’s property illegally, hoping to gather up costly items that they can fence to persons who knowingly buy stolen goods to resell them at a profit.
Each and every one of these states of being is heartbreaking news, because all of them represent mortal sins – infractions against the Ten Commandments – and people who die unrepentant of mortal sin have chosen to accept the full wages of sin: DEATH forever. Do you remember what we said about Solomon, the “wisest man in history?” In 2330AFC072823 – Another smart move, we stated, “There is no word in Scripture that he ever got to that stage (repentance). He may have died unrepentant, and that was definitely not another smart move.”
What happened on Maui is horrific, and we rightfully mourn for the lives lost and even grieve for the cultural and communal losses of structure, properties, and memories. Nonetheless, what is happening all around us throughout the entire World is especially heartbreaking news because most of the people who are surrounded by and stuffed-full of mortal sins don’t care about their state in Life, don’t want anyone to try to correct them, and don’t believe one tiny bit in YOLO-F. Even in worse circumstances are the folks who bear an indelible Mark of God’s election through Baptism and Confirmation, but live double lives showing one side as the image of fervent religiosity, and the other side as the image of utter indifference to the Rules of the Universe. The ha-Satan is collecting those Marks so he can show them off at the end of Time when the universe will be completely remade.
The universe is God’s creation. We are part of that creation. There are rules, laws, decrees, and patterns that govern all of creation – including us. When we live by the rules, creation is at our hand to enjoy as a natural consequence of obedience. When we flaunt the rules, all creation is against our hand as a natural consequence of disobedience. What is the state of those who fail to obey God’s commands (remember it’s God in Three Persons)? Well, their YOLO-F is spent in Hell, while those who are obedient eventually experience their YOLO-F in Heaven. The heartbreaking news is that there are so many souls living in complete indifference to God’s Way for us because they don’t believe or don’t care that God exists. Heartbreaking!
We are instructed to deal with those who bear those indelible Marks by admonishing and instructing them as listed in the Seven Spiritual Acts of Mercy (← Check it out!) For those outside, those who do not bear those indelible Marks, we are instructed to evangelize them. For those with the indelible Marks, but live a double life, we are instructed to evangelize them “in the pews.” Something we often overlook is what is “what’s in it for us.” IF we live up to our pledge of fidelity to the principles for which we were anointed – to be Priest, Prophet, and King – then we must do whatever we can to sanctify our own lives and the lives of our families. We are required to teach and edify those who rely on our servant-leadership whether young or old. In this way we help govern our lives and our family’s lives in the ways that obey God’s APP. When we do that, we are blessed with the rewards of faith – including the blessing from those we have guided toward God’s Great Throne. On the other hand, if we become a stumbling block for others, if we think we can be sneaky enough that God won’t notice and neither will our family – well, then, we are not going to have a good outcome, but rather a heartbreaking YOLO-F.
Do any of you watch the “true crime” stories on TV? One of the most common themes is a 
spouse who decides it is better to murder her/his spouse than to get a divorce – usually because they want to keep the financial security, life insurance, or to make sure they have custody of the kids. Even though you may be sick of hearing it from me, “the universe” cannot do a thing for you. It won’t answer your prayers, won’t guide you using the stars, won’t realign itself to make your life better or worse. STOP PRAYING TO THE UNIVERSE! (See 2330AFC072823) Stop praying to a pantheon of gods just to cover all your bases! Stop saying “It’s only a piece of paper. We really love each other and that’s enough.” No. It is not. Matrimony is a Sacrament instituted by God in Genesis to ensure we are free to marry (no skeletons to be found), we freely consent to become one flesh, we plan to make marriage a lifetime covenant commitment to each other and to God, and to “be fruitful and multiply” so that children carry forth our sacred commitments. This is our calling, to be the Servants of God and our prayer should be like that of the Canaanite woman: “Lord, help me.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” What we should all be able to remember as a template for Christian living is the acronym J.O.Y. – J is for Jesus, O is for others, and Y is for you. God comes first; all else should be a distant second.
The Gifts and Call of God are irrevocable! He will not cancel them, but if we refuse those Gifts and that Call, he will not force us to accept them! This is our call: Belovéd, 
pray for one another. Pray for faith, discernment, patience, and perseverance, and especially humility for yourself, for the MBN, for world leaders, and most especially for every living soul that refuses God’s irrevocable call and gifts. That’s not just about Maui; it’s about the entire World. We are not far from the point where God may say this: Genesis 6:6-7 – 6 And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” That was followed by The Flood in Noah’s time. Indications are the next purge will be with fire. Might we learn something from what happened in Maui about how to return to God? Remember, Malia Lanakila Church survived the fire, and that’s something to sing about (↔ Music Link). Selah. Heart-mending!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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