It seems to me that the number of natural disasters and the size of the disasters has been rising, floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes.<\/p>\n
The latest, of course, is the earthquake in Japan this week.\u00a0 There is massive damage from the earthquake.\u00a0 Giving that earthquake was measured at 8.9, I think we can give thanks that even more lives have not been lost (The latest death toll that I have heard is 1,300 but as they search for missing people, I’m sure the number of dead and injured will rise).\u00a0 As if the original quake was not enough, there has been hundreds of aftershocks.\u00a0 There is also the tsunamis that have resulted in massive damage in Japan and resulted in damage thousands of miles away.<\/p>\n
It would easy to say that Japan is half a world away, so it doesn’t affect me.\u00a0 Why should I care?\u00a0 You should care.\u00a0 Jesus cares.\u00a0\u00a0 These are real people affecting by the earthquake.\u00a0 All life is precious.<\/p>\n
What can we do to help?\u00a0 The obvious secular answer is to donate money.\u00a0 That is certainly a good thing.\u00a0 We can also pray.\u00a0 At times like this people might ask “does prayer really do any good?\u00a0 If God cared, he wouldn’t have the earthquake happen.\u00a0 I cannot explain why God allows<\/em> such things but I believe that God does not cause<\/em> these things.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some might then ask, “Where is God now?”\u00a0 God has not gone absent.\u00a0 God is present in the emergency workers, in the teams coming from across the world to assist with search and rescue.\u00a0 God is present offering his comfort to all who seek him.\u00a0 We become aware of God’s presence in prayer and see his grace at work in the rescuers.<\/p>\n Let us pray for everyone affected by the earthquake this week.<\/p>\n Peace,<\/p>\n Fr. Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It seems to me that the number of natural disasters and the size of the disasters has been rising, floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The latest, of course, is the earthquake in Japan this week.\u00a0 There is massive damage from the earthquake.\u00a0 Giving that earthquake was measured at 8.9, I think we can give thanks that …<\/p>\n