The Japan Disaster: Why?

  

Every disaster on this scale raises a host of feelings: shock at it’s suddenness, helplessness at the scale of the carnage, but most of all confusion, even anger, at the meaninglessness of it all.

Questions invade our minds. Where is God in all this, why does He allow it? Is this a judgement of sorts on the people or nation? For Christians, the juxtaposition between the calamity and God’s love is especially poignant. Is life, after all, just a matter of chance?

While Christians believe there is a final answer to these questions, the murkiness of our flawed understanding will always leave some mystery unexplained in this life. We see “through a glass darkly,” our view circumscribed by our ignorance, reminding us that our walk is by faith, not by sight.

Of course, pat answers are no help to anyone, especially those made destitute, bereaved, or maimed in minutes. For them, the questions must wait; our duty is to bring succour and relief within our capabilities. But the questions remain, hanging as an oppressive cloud over the event.

Volumes are written on the subject of suffering, yet every catastrophe casts a shadow of doubt on all our attempts at answers. Each time it causes us to review the fragility of life, our view of the purpose of life, and the paradox of human disaster and a God of love.

I would like to discuss these questions together in succeeding blogs. Please feel free to share your ideas.

No Fault Injury?

No Fault Injury?

Once again, the uproar about serious hockey injuries has erupted. It will continue to do so simply because injuries like Pacioretty received a few nights ago will continue to occur. It may be the result of a brawl, deliberate hits or an “accident” as this one has been termed.

Despite Pacioretty’s inability to play hockey in the near future—may be a lifetime—apparently, no one is to blame. We’re told accidents happen, and should be expected in high speed, hard hitting games. Expect to get injured and suffer the consequences. Survival of the fittest!

But accident or not, why is the one causing the injury absolved from responsibility? In a dangerous game, the expectation is that a player will cause, as well as receive, injury, so why not expect to share in the consequences?

A vehicle “accident” is always paid for the by the causing party, and even the game of hockey itself is fairer than life. Every foul requires a penalty—accident or not. Yet strangely, that principle is considered too vengeful for real injury.

The common complaint of western “justice” is that the punishment rarely fits the crime, even though popular wisdom dictates that an “eye for an eye” or “life for a life” is malicious and vindictive. But of course, that was never the purpose.

The principle of an “eye for an eye” simply ensured the punishment fit the crime and there was no gain for the perpetrator. That was not only a deterrent, it also prohibited escalation, while satisfying the concept of fairness in justice.

Unfortunately, the principle of punishment fitting the crime has been devalued in western culture because wrong doing is considered a character flaw to be corrected, not a vice that requires a penalty. Just consider Canada’s prison system; “Corrections Canada” says it all!

Let’s be honest. It’s selfishness—our current cultural creed—that requires the other guy to take the fall—in Pacioretty’s case, literally and outcome. Yet fairness would dictate that a perpetrator suffer the same game consequences as the injured player.

It seems to me that if the one causing the injury automatically suffered the same loss of hockey as the victim, not only would violence decrease, perhaps the rules of the game itself would change. However, I’m not sure Canada could cope with a kinder, gentler hockey, or even a simple thorough-going fairness.

Vera

This week for me, is the passing of an era. The last of my parents’ siblings is being laid to rest. My father’s only brother died within a week of my father’s death back in the ‘90s. My mother had one brother, but seven sisters. The sisters squabbled for most of their lives, mostly over petty jealousies, constantly forging new alliances as their fortunes changed.

Vera was the youngest, only about sixteen years older than me. Although she would occasionally join in the sisterly fracas, she was different for a number of reasons. She was the only one of her siblings not to marry. She battled medical overweight all her life, and surprised us all by living to ninety.

But she was the only sister, except my mother, who retained her Christian faith. Hers was a simple faith. It didn’t require pshyco-babble to define it, nor was she conflicted over finer points of theology. She was simply a sinner saved by the amazing grace of God, enjoying and sharing her faith to the end. Here are words she wanted to be remembered by.

I have had a good life, many, many interesting changes, not always as I had planned. I have been very blessed and look forward now to my call Home, where I shall claim my inheritance which will never perish and which is reserved for those who love Him. Also to be presented to God our Father, to be lead by Jesus to God's throne and hear Christ say, "Father this is Vera for whom I died". Wonderful!

A favourite hymn, and a favourite of mine also, will be sung at her funeral in England on Thursday. Here are immortal words that will only grow brighter with time.

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine's blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Montreal

Montreal! The word that comes to mind is “brash.” Street signs unashamedly French, roads potholed and cracked, traffic that gives no quarter, and rotting infrastructure. Yet few seem to mind until an overpass collapses and people are killed.

But, in the city at least, most appear bilingual and respond to the language you speak, which, providing you don’t get killed on the roads, makes life tolerable. Shopping is easy, plenty of choice, but gas is the most expensive in Canada; today $1.33 a litre.

But, of course, we didn’t come here for the ambience, but to visit with family. Luciano, our remaining grandchild of tender years is delightful at four years, and in true boyhood fashion, a handful. While at times we’d like to take him home in our luggage, I doubt it would work out long term.

You probably noticed that I’m a day late. Finding a place to access the internet proved elusive, until I discovered two ways to connect. The first was Kirkland Public Library which has free wi-fi. Some MacDonald’s also have access, but it’s erratic.

Then I found a user in Tim Horton’s happily working away without wi-fi—he was “tethered” to his iPhone. By downloading iTunes to my computer, access by USB through our daughter Alexandra’s iPhone becomes a convenient gateway into the ether.

So, if we can safely navigate the roads without French and synchronize blogging time with web access, we’ll report the latest Luciano shenanigans soon. Watch this space.

The King's Speech

I’m not much of a film goer, but I did see The King's Speech a couple of nights ago, and It deservedly won big at the Oscars. According to a short documentary on CBC’s National recently, the film’s major events are historical, but of course with expected detail dramatization.

The film interested Ann and me on two fronts. Ann had a major stammer as an adolescent. Few of you who know her now would believe it; a badly dysfunctional home caused the condition. Avoiding words that began with a difficult consonant was typical, and, although not shown on the film, the script of the final king’s speech showed similar changes.

Secondly, the film portrayed history we were personally acquainted with, having grown up as children during the Second World War. Pathe News (Broadcast at the cinemas—there was no TV yet) showed us King George VI and Elizabeth his wife frequently walking among the rubble of bombed buildings talking to the survivors and injured.

When the war started, Britain stood alone against the Nazi darkness and terror that covered Europe. It was mostly the identification of this king with his people in their struggle, together with that British Bulldog, Winston Churchill, that inspired the Brits to face down Hitler and survive the devastation of their country with a fighting spirit.

The abdication of his playboy brother Edward provided England with a compassionate King and Queen when desperately needed. The fall of Britain would have left The USA alone in a darkening world, but Britain’s obstinacy, eventually with American help, turned the tide.

Today, Europe and Asia to the Chinese border enjoy a measure of freedom unknown for much of the world’s history. It is a continuation of that historical change from despotism to democratic freedoms that is characterizing today’s sweeping changes in the Arab world

Yet the events of that tragic World War and the current changes in North Africa and the Middle East are under God’s control, reminiscent of Old Testament passages of God’s management of history.

For Christians, world events, while often seeming haphazard, are leading to the time when Christ’s return will terminate freedom of choice. While that freedom provides opportunity for reconciliation with God, it also racks the world with torment. And in returning, Christ will bring justice and equity to the world.

Your personal freedom of belief and action has its roots in the days of The King's Speech. Is that God of history the God of your life?