I wish I had taken notes...

So, in Mass yesterday, we read part of the story of Amos. Amos was a shepherd and a gardener, but God told him to take off, go to another country and start telling them like it is. So, Amos took off and did just that, but the King didn't want to hear what Amos had to say. He wanted to hear that everything was great. His prophets only told him that God was with him. It's what he wanted to hear -- sound familiar?

So, Father Brian (our new priest) gave an excellent homily about how different things are and how you hear God calling you to your tasks, etc. I wish I had taken notes because it was really good.

But, the one thing I took away, that really stuck with me, was when Father Brian said that God was going to punish the country in the story because while the country was living in very plentiful times, they forgot about the poor -- the widows and orphans, etc.

And, it got me thinking.

Pat Robertson once said that the hurricanes were sent upon us because we protect gays and lesbians in this country. I'm sure numerous members of his following believe him, but God doesn't punish for sex -- not historically -- He punishes because of the way we treat each other and our lack of generosity. Now, I don't know if natural disasters are harming our country and the world because God is punishing us, but if he is, it's got to be because we have left the poor behind.

We allow our government to cut the spending on healthcare and schools, but allow it to grant tax breaks to the oil companies. Is this a Christian or even a Godly way to do things?

No, it is not.

Maybe the unrest in the middle east, the fires in California and the hurricanes are God's punishment, not because of some protections people think gays have, but because of the lack of reaching out to others we are showing in this country.

God Bless