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     There are some people who believe that God punishes people when they do wrong. God is a hersh judge who is quick to influct pain and suffering whenever he is slighted. However, those who accept this image of God cannot be Christian. Jesus clearly portray the Father as just, but also merciful and gentle to those who repent. St. Paul clearly sees God the Father in the same way.

    Paul writes to the Galatians that the source of man’s punishment is man himself. ” Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh; but he who sows to the Spirit will reap from the Spirit eternal life.” (Gal 6:7-8)

     Paul words are those which our own parents have passed on to us. You sow what you reap. You may not suffer the consequences quickly, but in the end, those who mock or reject God bring about their own demise. The same is true for goodness. The good we do may not be noticed at first glance, but our constancy in doing good will not go without its reward.

     Paul’s hope is that the corruption brought about by our sinfulness  may lead us to conversion, and that goodness brought about by love may lead to greater holiness. Paul’s mesage for us is clear. God is not some arbitrary Judge. our lives and our actions stand as a living witness as to whether we are in Christ or if we reject Christ. God’s judgment is simply a recognition of how we have lived our life. For that reason, let us pray everyday that we possess the clarity of vision so that we can see whether we are sowing good seeds that lead to everlasting life, or sowing the weeds that will lead to the everlasting fire.

Please pray for all priests and seminarians and upport Sacred Heart Radio.

Also, happy Birthday to my classmate, Fr. Bernard Weldishofer, pastor of St. Francis de Sales in Lebanon, who is 43 today!