OLIVER TWIST

Genesis 19:15-29; Ps 26 O lord, your mercy is before my eyes; Matthew 8:23-27

Today is the feast of Oliver Plunket, who was the last catholic to be martyred in England.  He was convicted of treason because he was promoting the Catholic faith in the 17th century.

Sometimes, in our society we forget that catholics were maltreated.  How often have revisionist historians commented on the ugly treatment of catholics toward non catholics and yet fail to recognize the trail of blood that has dripped from the hands of those who butchered catholics for their beliefs and faiths.

History is filled with many tales of horror on both sides of the coin.

St. Oliver was man of great dedication.  He went around in disguise for a while carrying out his mission to bring the gospel to Ireland only to be arrested and imprisoned by the English.  Later he was tried and convicted of treason and hung on the scaffold.

Treason for teaching the faith.  We may think we have come a far way since those days, but even today in our time and place, Catholicism is looked down upon.  Our prayers must continually be raised for greater resolve and conviction to maintain our faithfulness and like Oliver continue tirelessly to proclaim the faith.

We turn our attention to the first reading today. We are continually following in the footsteps of Abraham.  But today we pause to walk int he wake of Lot.

Lot finds himself in hot water in Sodom. God has determined, after Abraham's intercession and pleading, that Sodom was in need of cleansing.

Though, Lot is offered a way out of town to avoid being swept up int he carnage and destruction that would soon befall Sodom for its outcry and injustice.

God sends angels to urge Lot and his family to leave before the destruction.

We pick up with the narrative, "As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, "on your way!  Take with your wife and your two daughters who are here or you will be swept away in punishment of Sodom."  When he hesitated, the men, by the Lord's mercy, seized his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters and led them to safety outside the city."


I want you to think about Lot's hesitation.  Why would Lot hesitate to be rescued?  In Hebrew the word for hesitation is more apt to be translated as dawdle or dawdled.  Lot was dawdling or wasting time.

He was reluctant and resistant to redemption offered by God.

Not only was he dawdling.  But once the angels got him outside the city, Lot began to bicker and argue with them about the route God has chosen for his safety.  God had chosen a path that went against Lot's better judgment, but isn't this always the case.  We think our judgment is better than God's judgment.

So like Lot at times we are indecisive, we dawdle, we waste time, we hesitate against the path of redemption laid before us.

Unlike St. Oliver who was deliberate in his action, deliberate in following in the footsteps of Christ, even and all the way to the scaffold and noose.

We need to investigate our life today.  Where are we indecisive?  Where do we dawdle?  Where have we clung to what we consider our better judgment rather than letting the judgment of God better us?