Optional Memorial of the First Holy Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church

 Lectionary: 377

Abraham was walking with them, to see them on their way.
The LORD reflected: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
now that he is to become a great and populous nation,
and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing in him?

 A fter visiting a family in my parish in Jennings, Louisiana one Sunday afternoon, the lady of the house walked with me back to the church and friary. I was mystified and finally asked what she was doing. The young woman explained it was the custom of hosts to accompany their guests back home. Since the advent of automobiles, with neighborhoods disassembled and families scattered, not many remembered that endearing practice. 

After hosting the mysterious trio at Mamre, Abraham accompanied the Lord as they walked toward Sodom and Gomorrah. When "the two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing before Abraham." Like me in Jennings, God wondered what he should say to the Patriarch, and should he explain his mission. He finally said, 

"The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great,

and their sin so grave,

that I must go down and see whether or not their actions

fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me.

I mean to find out."

We can learn a lesson from Abraham: walk with the Lord, listen to him, take seriously what he says, and do not hesitate to share your own concerns. Abraham seems to know already that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah are very grave; and that justice must destroy every living soul in the region. 

But the future father of nations has family there and, regardless of how deeply Lot might be involved in the culture and ethos of the cities, he is family. Abraham must do what he can to save his nephew, his nephew's wife, and children. He will succeed only partly, as Lot's wife and sons are lost, while his worthless daughters are spared and the old man escapes. (If the story were carefully edited -- without mentioning sodomy and incest -- it might make for great cinema.) 

Many people point to this and other stories to justify their belief that the "Old Testament God" is arbitrarily vindictive and violent. I read the same book and learn of the Lord's patience and restraint. He takes no pleasure in the death of wicked people.

But if the wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die!

None of the crimes he has committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the justice he has shown.

Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked...? Do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live? (Ezekiel 18:21-23)

And: 

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

But

...the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

This is not a story of God's vindictiveness, but it is a story of common sense. Every five year old child has to learn there are consequences to their behavior, and they will not enjoy the consequences of bad behavior. But terrible consequences often fall upon the children of adulterers, perverts, drunks, and drug abusers to the third and fourth generation. 

We should notice in this story that God's companions went on ahead to Sodom and Gomorrah, while God and Abraham tarried. The Lord has sent his Son and the Holy Spirit into our world to warn us and deliver us from the "Temptation" that is coming.  

As Christians we walk with the Lord who walks with us, and we pray for our loved ones, especially the fools. We remind them that God is patient, compassionate, and forgiving --  but justice must come.