November 14.  “Should mistakes, sin and evil be punished?  Should there be a warning first?”   These were questions Bryan posed for debate. “Often punishment does come about naturally and a warning can be a preventative step.   ‘HIV/AIDS is a disease not a sin,’ was a slogan used in the early days of HIV/AIDS. At first its cause was not immediately clear. Soon it was discovered that sex was the primary form of transmission.  Can it be taken as a form of punishment, that after 20 years of providing information and anti-retroviral drugs, the infection rate continues, and in some groups even rises?  Would repentance from promiscuous, immoral behaviour not be the best solution?  

Reflect, share, act. Scripture:  In the days of Lot, they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from heaven and destroyed them all. Luke 17:26-37.   Pope Francis: If everything is connected it is hard to imagine that the global disasters are unrelated to our way of approaching reality, our claim to be absolute masters of our own lives and all that exists.  I do not want to speak of divine retribution, nor would it be sufficient to say that the harm we do to nature is itself the punishment for our offences. The world is itself crying out in rebellion.   FT 34.   Jubilee. The evil we have done cannot remain hidden; it needs to be purified in order to enable this definitive encounter with God’s love. Here we begin to see the need of our prayers for all those who have ended their earthly pilgrimage, our solidarity in an intercession that is effective by virtue of the communion of the saints, and the shared bond that makes us one in Christ, the firstborn of all creation. The Jubilee indulgence, thanks to the power of prayer, is intended in a particular way for those who have gone before us, so that they may obtain full mercy.   SNC22.  Act and Pray for compassionate concern for those suffering loss in their families.