Wednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

“Never again will I doom the earth because of man
since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start;
nor will I ever again strike down all living beings, as I have done.
As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
Summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

Despite God’s resolution to “never again doom the earth” the four horsemen of the Apocalypse still charge through our world. In the ancient world famine – one of the four -- was usually a local phenomenon. Desperate people could move from place to place in search of food. Jacob sent his sons from Canaan to Egypt because Joseph had wisely stored up a seven-year supply of food.  Saint Paul urged Christians to send money to the Church in Jerusalem so they could import food from abroad.

But recently famine has gone global. It is no longer a Biafran, Somalian or sub-Saharan concern. When Americans started converting corn to fuel a few years ago food prices around the world shot up and millions went hungry. In Haiti women were selling mud pies soaked in vegetable oil for food. Fidel Castro had to speak up for the poor of the world, reminding Americans of the cost of our whimsy. 

Even more recently, we learn of food shortages due to global warming. In the past year Russian wheat fields suffered devastating fires, the south-eastern United States struggled with drought and Australian fields are flooded.  All of these disasters are listed among the effects of global warming. Politicians will continue to argue whether that and worldwide hunger are due to human behavior or not, but there is no doubt they are happening.

The story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis attests to our human ability to expect and prepare for food shortages. The Pharaoh, troubled by nightmares, commissioned Joseph to build storehouses and prepare for a seven year famine. As king he could overrule profiteers who only want short-term gain.

Globally, we seem to lack that authority and foresight, despite our ability to distribute food wherever it is needed.

In today’s story of the Flood and its aftermath, we hear of God’s oath, “Never again will I doom the earth because of man….” 

It used to be easy to blame God for famines, hurricanes, and earthquakes. Legally they were called "acts of God." But now we know how to build buildings to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes. We know how to avoid plagues and famines. If we cannot protect a frame house from a tornado we can evacuate its inhabitants and provide them with insurance to cover their losses. Although volcanoes pollute the atmosphere, most particulate dust comes from our factories. It is not so easy to describe catastrophe as “an act of God.” We have no one to blame but ourselves, for “the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start.” 

Turning back to God we can still find the hope of paradise in our world. We have the technology and the vision. We  need only the willingness to provide equably for all God's people.