The Lord’s Answer

² Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald^[b] may run with it.
³ For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it^[c] will certainly come
    and will not delay.

Habakkuk 2:2-3

Habakkuk was a Prophet who looked at the injustice and suffering in the World and found it hard to have faith in God. He is unusual among the Prophets – he did not go to the Kings or to the people and point out their sins, instead he turned his criticism towards God. How could he allow so much suffering and injustice to exist in His creation? To his people?

God’s first answer is to reveal to Habakkuk His plan; Israel will be conquered by the Babylonian Empire. Habakkuk is outraged – the Babylonians, he says, will bring upon his people even more pain and violence than under their own leaders. Babylonians treat their people as animals, they worship violence and their military.

In response, God lays out the instructions at the start of this post. He reveals the greater part of His plan – that he will bring down the Babylonians and bring the Israelites closer to His love and Divine will. He urges Habakkuk, whilst it may seem that the plan is taking time to become a reality, he was to have faith – ‘though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come’.

Rosary in Hand exists partly in response to the inspiration from this short book of the Old Testament. Habakkuk is approachable as a Prophet; he is a man gripped with doubt. He looks at the World and cannot see God’s hand at work in the enormous suffering and exploitation that humans are capable of visiting upon each other. He confronts God with this directly, and is greeted with the instruction to deepen his faith.

God highlights to Habakkuk the ‘Five Woes’ that he will visit upon corrupt Nations:

1. Woe to the oppressor; greed, extortion – the plunderer himself will be plundered
2. Woe to the exploiter; building security at the expense of others – destruction will fall on his dynasty
3. Woe to the violent builder; building cities on bloodshed and violence – “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”
4. Woe to the corrupt debaucher; humiliating others with drunkenness – the exploiter will be shamed and exposed in turn
5. Woe to the idolator; trusting in idols made by human hands – the idols are lifeless, but God gives life

I am not an expert, and I do not seek to pose as one. But tell me that the internet is not the place, the space where each of these woes is lived out daily and celebrated as a virtue. As a right. That online in general, and on social media in particular, these woes are consumed casually and constantly.

We celebrate the accumulation of wealth and greed. We turn each other into objects to consume. We use violence as entertainment. Decadent and debauched lifestyles are celebrated. Idols are everywhere.

The antidote, as God says to Habakkuk, is to have faith. To ‘take the vision and make it plain’. We can stand out in the World as those that use the evil against itself. However simple, however small, taking a moment on social media to offer a prayer; to share it with others.

Rosary in Hand is launching the #Pausethescroll for exactly this reason – to turn our vices into our virtues. If by sharing a prayer you can turn one person’s attention, even for 30 seconds, away from the distractions in front of them and towards the divine, you will have contributed to something significant. Together, we can achieve something truly special, turning private faith into public mercy and isolation to connection:

Pause; remove yourself from what you are consuming, from the time that you are spending online.

Pray; offer that moment in reflection, for the good that you have and the good that you can do.

Pass it on; share it with others.