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Q.

Good morning Father Angelo,

My name is Francesco and I come from the province of Vicenza. I would like to ask you, why did the God of the Old Testament punish the wicked and reward the upright, while after Christ’s coming He let men do anything – see the Holocaust, for example – without intervening, rewarding or punishing?

Are they two different gods?

I wish you well, thank you

Francesco

A.

Dear Francesco,

1.    Your premise is incorrect.

Wicked used to prosper in the Old Testament as well, as we can see in Psalm 73:2-5 et seq. “But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.”

2. We live in the New Testament era, which coincides with that of the Shoah. It certainly was worse than the exile in Babylon.

But were those who caused it rewarded?

Where are they?

Make no mistake, in the New Testament God humiliates the prideful and glorifies the humble.

3. In the Magnificat, Our Lady bears witness to God’s faithfulness to the poor, the oppressed and the humble. “He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Lk 1:51-55).

4. At Vespers each day, the Church repeats the Canticle of Mary.

It is a story that is endlessly renewed, day after day, on an individual and collective level.

It is repeated for every day until the end of the world and also in the life to come.

5. When we sing the Magnificant, we do not always have in front of us the signs of the Lord’s victory.

They are events that occur within our hearts, our families and our personal relationships.

Collectively speaking, those situations can change within a generation.

We know that is true, even if the wicked seem to prevail.

6. We are all witnesses to the Psalm 37: “I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.” (Psalm 37:35-36).

7. It has happened to me many times to repeat the Latin words of this Psalm: “et transivi, et ecce non erat; et quaesivi eum, et non est inventus locus ejus” (I stopped by, but could not find him; I asked about him and his memory was gone!).

8. Our Lady in the New Testament repeats these statements in other words.

Nevertheless, this is the story of all time.

9. Therefore, I urge you to look at events with Mary’s gaze, with the gaze of the Magnificat.

You will see that God always works in the same way: “He humbles the proud and exalts the humble”.

I hope you will find this soon.

I remember you in pray and I bless you

Father Angelo