Daily Reflection
of Creighton University's Online Ministries
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February 13th, 2010
by

Tim Dickel

Education Department
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Friday in the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
1 Kings12:26-32; 13:33-34
Psalm 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22
Mark 8:1-10

In today's readings from Kings, we are told of the power of God and of His contempt for those who do not respect and honor Him.  In the Psalm, the writer refers to today’s Kings’ reading and emphasizes the power of God, the importance of repentance, and the goodness of God.  In Mark, we read of the power and goodness of God through his son, Jesus.

Today, when considering the power and the goodness of God, it is difficult not to think about the terrible devastation in Haiti.  I refuse to consider that God is responsible for the destruction of life, the damage to so many bodies, or the loss of property.  Those thoughts do not fit with my conceptualization of God. The God of my beliefs and His Son are filled with power, but it is a power of goodness and kindness.

The earthquake that hit Port Au Prince, Haiti on January 10, 2010 killed more than 150,000 and left the vast majority of the population homeless.  It injured tens of thousands of the survivors, and the rebuilding of the city and the national economy will require many years.  From absolutely every account, the situation is bleak and most probably incomprehensible to most of us.

But, just when the devastation looks the worst, the power of goodness and kindness of God has descended upon the island and the people of Haiti.  This power of goodness and kindness has come in the form of international aid to the victims of the earthquake.  I am so very impressed by the caring and the speed with which medical personnel and supplies, water and food, and rescue personnel arrived to help the people.  Without fear or second thought, people from all over the world poured into Haiti to meet the needs of the people.  I am honored to know some of the unselfish medical people from Creighton and Omaha who were the first to depart to give assistance.  This, to me, is the testimony to the power of the goodness and kindness of our God. 

Whether Haitian or any other human, whether in good times or bad, our loving God, through his son, Jesus, is at our side.  He has not caused our pain, but He is there to give us strength in response to our prayer, in response to our faith, and in the form of our fellow humans who also care for us.

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