The Tsunami that hit Japan couple of days ago was just a terrifying catastrophe. Many people thought of the great flood in days of Noah, as they saw the waves wiping away a whole city! I personally thought of Sodom and Gomorrah when I saw them. God demolished Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sins. Does that mean that Japan is a sinful country?
See now and know;
And seek in her open places
If you can find a man,
If there is anyone who executes judgment,
Who seeks the truth,
And I will pardon her." (Jeremiah 5:1)
"And He (God) said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” " (Genesis 18:32)
God is welling to pardon the whole city if He found a single person who executes judgment. When Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah [Genesis 18:23,-33], God answer was clear: He won't destroy an evil city if there are 5 righteous people in it. That is the negative aspect. The positive aspect is that God also blesses the city for the sake of the righteous. We saw how God blessed the house of Potiphar because of Joseph, and saved Egypt and the whole world, because of Joseph.
The early church fathers teaches us that when we attain the Love of God, that is when we truly love God above anything and anyone else, we are filled with love towards all human kind, and towards the whole creature! St. Isaac the Syrian says: "What is a merciful heart? It is a heart on fire for the whole of creation, for humanity, for the birds, for the animals, for demons, and for all that exists." and also says: "and by such great compassion, the heart is humbled and one cannot bear to hear or to see any injury or slight sorrow in any in creation.".
While Jeremiah, Mordecai, and Nehemiah were Godly people, but when they saw, or heard, the tribulation on its way against their people, as a punishment for their sins, these Godly men considered the people's sins their sins. We that too with many other men of God, prophets and saints, such as Jeremiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Abba Karas, Abba Poula the first Hermit, etc. Nehemiah, for instance, prayed: "...I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned." (Nehemiah 1:6) But indeed, there is no one without a sin. These Godly men might not participated in the general sin of the people, for which they are punished, but they have their own personal sins. We all do. However, as members, or rather organs, of the big family of human race, if one member is sick, the whole body is said to be sick. If one organ sins, we all sinned.
Similarly, when I see the world in affliction I realize how evil my sin is, causing these afflictions to the world. I know also that confession and repentance, of my own sins, and the whole family of human race, is the proper response I shall offer. The dessert fathers says about monks being the defenders, or intercessors of the whole wold, through their continuous repentance and prayers offered on behalf of the whole world. A monk, iconizes the human race how we are compelled to be.
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