Zeus and Hermes

Zeus and Hermes came disguised as ordinary peasants, and began asking the people of the town for a place to sleep that night. They had been rejected by all, "so wicked were the people of that land," when at last they came to Baucis and Philemon's simple rustic cottage. Though the couple was poor, their generosity far surpassed that of their rich neighbors, among whom the gods found “doors bolted and no word of kindness."

After serving the two guests food and wine (which Ovid depicts with pleasure in the details), Baucis noticed that, although she had refilled her guest's beech wood cups many times, the pitcher was still full (from which derives the phrase "Hermes's Pitcher"). Realizing that her guests were gods, she and her husband "raised their hands in supplication and implored indulgence for their simple home and fare." Philemon thought of catching and killing the goose that guarded their house and making it into a meal, but when he went to do so, it ran to safety in Zeus's lap. Zeus said they need not slay the goose and that they should leave the town. This was because he was going to destroy the town and all those who had turned them away and not provided due hospitality. He told Baucis and Philemon to climb the mountain with him and Hermes and not to turn back until they reached the top.

After climbing to the summit ("as far as an arrow could shoot in one pull"), Baucis and Philemon looked back on their town and saw that it had been destroyed by a flood and that Zeus had turned their cottage into an ornate temple. The couple's wish to be guardians of the temple was granted. They also asked that when time came for one of them to die, that the other would die as well. Upon their death, the couple were changed into an intertwining pair of trees, one oak and one linden, standing in the deserted boggy terrain.

Is It Wrong to be Angry with God?

The Following was published in the Saturday Charlotte Observer as part of an article titled "Voices of Faith", which is a weekly column dealing with issues of religion. Sometimes they can be very insightful, as in this answer to the question posed in the title. It more closely resembles the outlook of the Jewish faith, than the Catholic viewpoint. I found it interesting that it comes from a Catholic Minister, and so, being Sunday, I thought I would share it here.

This is the face of God, as depicted by Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.When trying to select a suitable illustration, I decided to use this stern depiction in order to evoke the image of an Old Testament "fire and brimstone" sort of God. The text below is very consistent with my own beliefs, though I usually refer to Noah arguing about how much wine to take aboard the Ark, as well as the haggling betwen Lot and God concerning how many righteous people he needed to find in order to spare Sodom, as evidence of man's ongoing battle with his Creator.

The Rev. Pat Rush, Pastor, Visitation Catholic Church, Kansas City, Missouri:

In the Bible, it seems that God’s people of the First Covenant are more comfortable arguing with God and complaining about God’s perceived lapses in duty than most Christians are. The prophets Jeremiah and Habakkuk, as well as the Book of Job, are prime examples of this.

Those writings evidence the presumption that even a divinely made covenant is a two-way street and the sense that sometimes God forgets about God’s end of the bargain. Habakkuk complained that God was not listening, because God had promised to be a rock of safety for his people, and, when their enemies attacked and defeated them, God failed to intervene.

People influenced by this tradition are not afraid to argue with God and complain when it feels that the Lord is neglecting them. This attitude is not rooted in a shallowness of faith.

Rather, it is usually rooted in a faith relationship so strong that an honest exchange is acceptable and in no way damaging. It is rooted in a faith conviction that God’s commitment to us is so deep that God can handle our disappointment and anger.

God did respond to those biblical heroes who brought their complaints to him. God said, “stay faithful because good things will come, just not now and not as you expect.” God said they, and we must live in patient trust.

God’s love is steadfast in the face of anger.