ON THE OCCASION OF THE EARTHQUAKE ENZO BIANCHI dusts A NOTE HERESY

.

An earthquake can be considered a punishment from God? Certainly not as a punishment for the sins committed by the victims, but as a consequence of original sin, as is the suffering; e these consequences no one escapes : even Christ and the Madonna, indeed, although exempt from original sin and its consequences, They were subjected to suffering.

.

.

God chastises and uses mercy [Tb 23,2]

.

PDF print format article

.

.

In Future the 27 last August [see WHO] Enzo Bianchi has published some of his reflections on the recent earthquake, and thinking to comfort the afflicted and to give an illuminating answer to why God allowed such a calamity, dusts off the well-known heresy, according to which "God does not punish", falsehood contrary to sound reason, to Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium of the Church and the teachings of all the Saints; ma, According to him, God is always and only "compassion" with all and takes all, believers and non-believers, in heaven. Such an assertion sweetish, grave on the lips of those who should be a man of God, removes the unfortunate that 'unparalleled comfort that comes from our faith, He adds bitterness to bitterness, leaving them in anguish, and he pushes to blaspheme a God who would be "good" in sending earthquakes.

.

We try to remedy the "bad cut drug" [1] peddled by Bianchi proposing the true Gospel teaching, and assuming the reader's willingness to listen to the Word of God. The Christian mystery does not rule out the reason, and it is better a bitter medicine that a sweet drink but poisoned. We say first that Bianchi forget that mercy It raises from suffering or prevents ; it also forgets that, in principle, suffering is the penalty of sin. And then the Suffering does not depend on the mercy, but by justice. So that, call "compassion" one who mistreats me, It is a joke. So, When God allows disasters, He not immediately demonstrates his mercy, but his justice. It is absurd and derisive groped to explain the suffering with the sole mercy neglecting justice. This is not to say that when I happen a disgrace, This is always the divine punishment for a sin I have committed. This may be in certain cases; but it is not necessarily always the case. Indeed, in reality, in this life it happens that there are professional criminals who get away without guilt and innocent who are affected by disasters.

.

As it is clear from the Christian revelation, all the pains of this life, indeed, whether they strike the right, either they hit sinners, They are all in their distant origin protologica, judgment, consequences of original sin and in that sense just penalties, although in fact there are those who are affected little, and some are very impressed. But this disorder is a consequence of original sin. Apart from the suffering caused by the sins or negligence or ignorance of men. The rest, you have to be careful what you mean the Holy Scriptures, when he speaks of "God's punishment". It uses a language metaphoric, as indeed is the case of the word "wrath", taken from human relationships, but which it should best be adapted in the case of God, not to make it repugnant the idea of ​​a "divine punishment".

.

The expression “divine retribution”, indeed, materially socket, He suggests the act of a judge imposing a sentence conventional a wrongdoer. Instead, the penalty of sin is not an evil caused by God in the sinner. God does not hurt anyone. The penalty of sin is nothing more than harm or damage that the sinner himself, with his sin, pulling him. It would be like saying that those who drink too much wine is "punished" with liver cirrhosis.

.

God "sends" no hell as would a judge who sends the offender in prison, but hell, there are only those fools, whose pride is such that prefer to suffer away from God to be blessed with Him in paradise. If our good is to be united to God, it is logical that our evil is the refusal to join the Well. However, Faith teaches us to see the work of God's mercy even in times of suffering, because for us Christians now calls us the punishment of original sin, and perhaps even the penalty for our sins. But the Christian does not stop there. Serenely accept what happens to him, because you know to take advantage of this suffering to join with love, trust and hope in Christ crucified, who atones for us, It gets us the mercy and forgiveness of the Father for our sins, whereby, by an act of great generosity, but also in its interest, It can come to atone for Christ for the sins of others.

.

God's goodness is not only manifested in the consolations, but also with the correction. This too is mercy. And if we suffer from innocent, let's not get upset, we think of Christ, that, innocent, He suffered and atoned for our salvation and unite our suffering to his to do our part to save the world. Christ with his blood has paid for us the debt of sin - satisfaction for us, says the Council of Trent - , but this does not prevent us to make our contribution. So, in this light of faith, what is the experience of divine punishment he is transformed in the experience of his mercy. For it is by mercy that the Father has given us Jesus, in Whom and through Whom we can atone for our sins. And not only can we be saved from sin (healing grace), but also become "children of God" [The Gv 3,1, grace waved], participate in the life of the Son of the Son.

.

However it must be remembered that, though Christ gives everyone the possibility of salvation through the cross, not everybody de facto accept this offer, whereby not everyone is saved. Which means that God offers to all his saving mercy, only if, repented of their sins, they make penance. Whereby, as noted by the Letter to the Hebrews [EB 10, 26-31], if it already deserves punishment disobedience to Natural Law, here it's called "the Law of Moses", much more serious punishment deserve the rejection of God's mercy because of the rebellion against the law of Christ. Christ is very clear teaching us that some will welcome this mercy and be saved, while others, for their disobedience, the refuse and danneranno[2].

.

The Pope should remember these things, otherwise his preaching of mercy is likely to be misunderstood and that take advantage mess, that the good guys are baffled, that the judicial system is paralyzed, and that is not done justice to the oppressed, while they are hindered the reform and improvement of customs and are favored moral laxity and corruption. Moreover, given that the terrorists ISIS, according to the vision Rahner, They are "anonymous Christians", object of divine mercy, we can accept their proposal to replace the Koran to the Gospel, the more so, according to the theology of Rahner, Gospel and the Koran are placed on the floor "categorical", where a concept or the other, while all possess the '' transcendental experience of God ", that is the thing that counts and that guarantees to all the salvation.

.

Remain deaf to the warnings of the Lord for a false idea of ​​mercy, remove from the Bible verses that speak of doom, as unfortunately many do, with the belief that everyone is saved, them under the illusion of being able to regulate his conduct at will, to dissolve all moral restraints and to sin freely, with impunity conviction and that in any case there is no one in Hell. But as these ideas ignore the warning of the Lord, this their vain confidence, as already he warned the Council of Trent for Lutherans, It is useless, whereby, if they do not repent in time, actually end up in hell. The love of virtue is not enough to make virtuous, if you do not think about the consequences of the practice of vice.

.

The moment of misfortune reminds Christians the consequences of original sin and the possibility of redemption that is given by Christ, whereby, if he had any fault to be served, It can take the opportunity to settle accounts with the Lord. And if he was innocent he can take the occasion to offer his cross for the salvation of sinners.

.

We must certainly do good for the love of the good and to the heavenly reward which is the beatific vision of God. The exercise of virtue is certainly already in itself a source of joy; but virtue is not, as they believed the Stoics and Kant, order or its own reward; the exercise of virtue is not the content of happiness, but only the half of achieving, who is in achieving the ultimate goal and highest good, which consists in union with God.

.

The happiness of man is not immanent to man, ie does not consist in an act of man, however sublime and perfect, but in the fact that man, by choice, It joins forever and intimately to an external asset, personal, transcendent and infinite, who is God. But precisely this act will be perfect as it is the act by which man connects fully and eternally with God in charity.

.

The act for fear of punishment it is wise and logically connected to acting disinterested, pure love of perfection and of God. In fact you can not separate the love for the sake of fleeing or hatred of evil. The thought that if I do such a thing, God is punishing me, or I'll damage, She pushes me to do good.

.

Trust in God and in his mercy It gives impetus to our action, It makes us "innocent as doves", burning with charity, tenacious in convictions, brave in business, while thinking that some are damned and that I could damn myself, present in all the Saints, It is a salutary thought, pushing us to the good, It makes us "wise as serpents" [cf. Mt 16,18], modest in opinions, conscious of our weakness, acting brigade, cautious and circumspect in danger, warned of the pitfalls, lowly, ready to correct us, penitents, strong in temptations and trials, circumspect and wary in the treacherous situations, making us avoid precipitation, the ingenuity, the dabbenaggine, the excessive optimism, the presumption, too much security, boasting and arrogance.

.

However, the love of the good that is to hate evil. Because of this, the good action main reason is the love of God and not the fear of punishment. But on the other hand, It must also avoid the false security that everyone is saved. Fear is only a subsidiary reason, and yet necessary, precisely to avoid the false security. Fear that is not afraid, but love and respect.

An earthquake can be considered a punishment from God? Certainly not as a punishment for the sins committed by the victims, but as a consequence of original sin, as is the suffering; e these consequences no one escapes: even Christ and the Madonna, indeed, although exempt from original sin and its consequences , They were subjected to suffering.

But we have biblical examples of castigate city for the sins of their inhabitants. But here we are dealing with primitive conceptions of punishment, for which good and evil were involved in one disaster. It specifies the Scripture at one point that everyone is punished for his sins [Gives 31, 29ss] and not to those of other.

.

Such a serious event such as an earthquake, when he puts to the test our solidarity and compassion for the needy and stimulates the search for remedies or defenses from many misfortunes, It can and should be considered as a cross which God sends us for our purification and for the conversion of sinners. You can therefore see in it a sign of his mercy, as we take occasion from it to unite us to Jesus crucified for the salvation of the world.

Many phenomena of a perfect nature created by God but imperfect man-made and therefore stepmother, bring us misfortunes, who are among the painful consequences of original sin, though the Creator wanted to put in them the rules and laws, to which they obey unerringly. But we will enjoy in the future resurrection of a mother nature, which he will have rediscovered harmony with man and the original meaning,ordained by God, of its existence.

Varazze, 29 August 2016

.

________________________

NOTE

[1] In the context, the word "drug" is used as a synonym for heresy, just as drug dealing understood as "peddling heresies"

[2] Cf my book Hell esiste. The truth denied, Editions Faith&Culture, Verona 2010.

.

.

.

.

.

.