Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
“There is no such thing as divine wrath, and if there is, it’s not worth our attention or concern.” God forbid that anyone should ever think or act that way. On the contrary, we know from sacred scripture that there is such a thing as the wrath of God, and we know that we must reckon with it before it’s too late. The prophet Jeremiah attempted to avert the wrath of God from the people of Israel (Jeremiah 18:20). He foresaw that a wrathful punishment awaited evildoers and sinners, so he did two things: first, he challenged the people around him to do better, and second, he stood before God in prayer and interceded for them.
“The wrathful God revealed by the Old Testament has been replaced by the loving God revealed in the New Testament.” Such a view is impossible for anyone who has carefully read the New Testament, for there it is written that “the wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18). Jesus Christ came to Earth in order to reckon with the divine wrath. Like the prophet Jeremiah, he challenged the people around him to do better and he also stood before God in prayer, interceding for them. By his cross, too, in a mysterious way, Jesus averted the wrath of God.
Let us also take up our own cross and follow Jesus. Let us turn to God in prayer every day to make intercession for sinners. “Lord, have mercy,” “Kyrie eleison.”