Word to the Wise
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 - Tuesday in the 13th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gen 19:15-29 and Matt 8:23-27]Thus it came to pass: when God destroyed the Cities of the Plain, he was mindful of Abraham by sending Lot away from the upheaval by which God overthrew the cities where Lot had been living. [Genesis]
By a quirk of the calendar (the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul fallling on what would have been Monday of the 13th week), we lost the wonderful scene of Abraham bargaining with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. Today we get a kind of "mini-bargain" where Lot bargains about the escape route. Perhaps I should note that Lot and family had to be literally forced out of town when they hesitated to leave by God's messengers! Then he worries about having to travel too far! Of course, Lot's wife provides the sensational element by looking back and being turned into a pillar of salt! (Those things exist in the Dead Sea. Which one is she?)
The story makes sure that we know that God spared Lot and his family out of regard for Abraham (who had bargained for their safety). So Abraham's prestige in the plan of God increases. We see, too, the continuation of the idea of a faithful remnant, which began with Noah and the Ark and forms part of the larger backdrop of God's plan. While there is a proper emphasis on the covenant and fidelity, I don't want to let the idea of "bargaining" disappear. It represents a way of prayer and engagement with God that can get lost in all the various ways we in our Catholic tradition have of creating mediators to work for us! We'll see this in greater detail when Moses comes on the scene! AMEN