Census-Related Questions

A Reflection on the First Reading for July 24th, 2022:
​Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Genesis
18.20-32

The Lord said: “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”

So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.”

Abraham answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

Again Abraham spoke to the Lord, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.”

Then Abraham said, “Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” The Lord answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.”

Abraham said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” The Lord answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.”

Then Abraham said, “Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” The Lord answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

I wonder what the population of Sodom was at the time of these events. What percentage of the people was Abraham counting on being found righteous to save the city? And, in connection with this, how many righteous people would God find here in Halifax? If Abraham were to plead with God on our behalf, what number should he start with? Are we hoping for ten percent? One percent? What kind of percentage is enough, and what kind of expectations would we have for our city, our province, our country? 

And then, of course, the harder question: Who counts as a righteous person? Would I be one of the ten needed to save the city? “Righteous” has somewhat negative connotations in our current common language; it makes us think of the Pharisees and a sort of “holier-than-thou” attitude. So maybe it would be better to say “holy” instead. How many holy people are there in Halifax? Can any of us lay claim to that title for ourselves, when we daily pray to our Father and ask Him to “lead us not into temptation”? 

Luckily, the answer to all my ridiculous questions is very simple, and we all know it already. How many righteous people are required to save anyone? Only one, and He has already done all the saving required. Salvation doesn’t depend on my being righteous or even being holy. It depends on Jesus Christ, the perfectly righteous one, who died for us. In looking at His Son, God the Father has mercy on all of us, and for the sake of this One, He will never destroy us, but will raise us up to joy and freedom we can only imagine.




Sr. Gemma MacLeod

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