5 Biblical messes that test our faith

"Do you trust Me?"

-God

God loves us through our messes. St Paul assures us that God works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). What about literal messes? Needlessly, we fear dirt, dust, mud and soil; not to mention germs. Is this purposefully demonic, distracting and distancing from God? What is the significance of dirt, dust, ash and soil stories in the Bible?

#5 Spit, mud and Bartimeus. In Mark 8 and John 9, Jesus healed a blind man's eyes at Bethsaida with saliva and dirt. This story is about spiritual blindness. God possesses a healing touch. Tassel-touching cured the hemorrhaging woman in Mark 5:34. Mere words cured a centurion's servant in Luke 7:1-10. In our own life, how many miracles occur daily? That red traffic light or flat tire may be intended to spare us from an upstream car accident. Sometimes God needs us alive to finish our work for Him. He is the only One who gives and takes lives, whether it is His passive or active will.

#4 Dirt-scrawling at a stoning. Literally, the finger of God scripted the 10 commandments and wrote on the wall for Daniel to interpret. Those stories make sense, but why write in the dirt at an adulteress' stoning? Perhaps the adulterant partner was present. Read Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter or Shakespeare's Hamlet. Methinks the men doth protest too much. Jesus knew the law and refused to break it. Leviticus states both parties are to be stoned. Was Jesus writing chapter 20 verse 10 in the dirt? Maybe Jesus listed the accusers' name and sins. Or was He drawing the line in the sand for only the worthy to cross? God wrote the law in stone. Jesus enforced it in dirt.

#3 Ash Wednesday. Lent is a wake-up call to humility and penance. If our bodies came from dust, they are carbon-based, which decay over time. Therefore, our mortal bodies are a disposable-vehicle for the eternal soul, like peanut shells or a watermelon's rind. God will give us new bodies on the last day. Therefore, death is a lie as proven by the Resurrection. God doesn't want our bodies, He aches for our immortal souls. Death is only a transition into a new beginning, whether heaven, hell or purgatory. Lent reminds us to forsake our carbon vehicles and seek soul-nourishing virtues which buy our eternal life. How we live is how we die. Do not be afraid. Having witnessed beautiful and holy passings, death can be a glorious transition. 

#2 What is good soil? The seeds of faith need good soil for a pure and honest heart, Luke 8:15. Fertile soil grows food and dirt-digging can be therapeutic. But who knew about the military uses of soil? Manure-free, soil-silicates control hemorrhage by triggering clotting,” says Dr. Christian Kastrup. In Blood Advances, his study states that soil in wounds activates a blood protein, known as coagulation Factor XII. Once activated, a rapid chain reaction forms a plug which seals the wound and limits blood loss. “Excessive bleeding is responsible for 40% of mortality in trauma patients. In extreme cases and in remote areas, clean soil could potentially be used to stem deadly bleeding following injuries. This is another example of how God can turn a mess into good.

#1 Communion in the hand or on the tongue? Both ways include human-handling, whether by a consecrated priest or Eucharistic minister. 

• Eucharistic ministers' hand sanitization does NOT kill all microbes especially enveloped-viruses and bacteria. The foam only pushes them around. Even soap doesn't kill. It is the slippery lather of soap that loosens microbes' grip and down the drain they go during rinsing. Anything that kills 100% of microbes would kill hand cells, so sanitizer recipes are a gentle balancing act. Therefore, it is a myth that communion in the hand is safer. Moreover, Satan wants everyone to grope and drop Jesus' Sacred Heart. Like potato-chip crumbs, demons want Jesus' cardiac cells to be trampled. The evil one wishes to makes us all complicit in the desecration of the Holy Eucharist. 

• What if the priest touches my tongue during Holy Communion? How many tongues has he touched before mine? Should I panic?--No. Who is more powerful: the Maker of the Multiverse or mere mucosal molecules? Only a priest's hands are spiritually-sanctioned to hold God. Ask for the faith of Bartimeus, the Roman centurian and the ex-hemorrhaging woman. Invite the True Presence to be enthroned on our tongues, rather than participate in a sacrilige. Trust in the Divine Healer.

Ignore demonic voices who seek desecration-accomplices and fear. Especially of the faith-testing events listed above. If we trust in His heart, then trust in His plan.

Jesus, I trust in you!

Sources:

Efficacy of Hand Sanitizer | NIH

Soil in wounds can help stem deadly bleeding | Blood Advances