Mercy 13: Mercy for Sodom
'These matters are in my hands and I will bring them to fruition according to My Mercy, for nothing can oppose My will.' Jesus to St. Faustina
Growing acceptance of gender brokenness seems founded on the belief that people are born incurably 'gay,' 'transgender' etc. Why not be and act according to who one intrinsically is?
Rarely discussed is the fracturing impact such acceptance has upon vulnerable boys and girls. Identity formation involves far more than genetics. Who we become from childhood to adulthood depends significantly upon the 'identities' we witness. Are they blessed or broken in the eyes of those around us? Social cues influence the choices children make about who they will become.
Now that our culture celebrates 'gay marriage' and 'gender-reassignment,' we will see an increase in young people defining themselves as 'gay' or 'transgender.' No doubt they have pre-existing identity conflicts for which we should only have compassion. But they are choosing to resolve these conflicts through the biased solutions they behold. On TV, the Internet, in the classroom, and the worldly church, teens are being converted in droves to dead-end identities.
The inhabitants of Sodom are multiplying at an alarming rate. Just go to any university in our land; if a gender uncertain kid does not become conformed to the image of Christ, (s)he will be deformed by the GLBTQ community.
I don't blame activists. Our twisted notion of personal 'liberty' is to blame. We started by removing social restraints from porn, pre-marital sex/contraception, and divorce. Having already poisoned the ground on which these ones become men and women, we offer false solutions for the yearnings that issue from their broken hearts. Already fractured, young people are fractured further by fruitless identifications; truly this is the devolution of 'the empty way of life handed down to them by their forefathers.' (1P1: 18)
Mercy alone can make the difference. At work in Spirit-filled believers, Jesus sends us out like the angels who warned Lot and family of impending judgment; in love we rouse those dulled by the darkness at hand.
Lot typifies the social and spiritual influences that confuse us today. Amid the decadence of Sodom (aggressive and arrogant homosexual lust), Lot 'hesitated.' He faltered when it came to exiting the doomed city. He nearly lost his moral bearing. Sin makes you stupid.
So the angels 'grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and daughters and led them out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them.' (Gen. 19:16)
That is the first time the word 'mercy' appears in the Bible. God shows His mercy by enlisting merciful guides to help bring young ones home. Our world provides a host of deadening options for them. May we manifest the merciful way to Life!
'Shine like stars in the universe, as you hold out the word of life…' (Phil. 2: 15, 16)
Prayer Points:
- Desert Stream/Living Waters: Kansas City Metro, Mike Nobrega, Regional Coordinator. Please pray for our efforts within the Catholic Church in Kansas City.
- Restored Hope Network: Identity Quest, Albuquerque, NM. Bob Gates, Director. Specialty: professional counseling for men, women and families. New Creation Outreach, Wichita, KS. Clint Price, Director. Specialty: pastoral care for men, women and youth struggling with same-sex attraction.
- Courage: Pray that the church will grow in her ability to extend genuine compassion and unambiguous truth to those with SSA, with no compromises.
- Cor Project: Pray that those we are called to minister to would be open to receiving the seed we are called to sow.