January 14: Splangchnizomai

By Magdalena I. García

I know it sounds like a curse; that is, if you can get around to pronouncing this mouthful. But that’s not the case at all. It’s a Greek verb, one of those rare animals we were expected to dissect (i.e. parse) in seminary. I was never fond of biology, much less the required lab work, and I completely lost my interest in the field the day when my high school cafeteria served spaghetti after we had spent a class period dissecting worms. I know what you’re thinking: I should have lost my appetite instead, but I guess that guts have their own logic. Hang on to that thought.

Well, thanks to the Greek Interlinear Bible—available at textweek.com—I know that this funny looking word means to be “moved to compassion”. Or, literally, “to have one’s entrails, or guts, moved.” In fact, this is the Greek word behind most of the Gospel stories where we are told that Jesus was “moved to compassion.”

Haiti was hit by a major earthquake on Tuesday afternoon, and we continue to be overwhelmed by the images of destruction and loss on TV and the internet. But we’re also starting to get encouraging news about the unprecedented level of financial aid given in the first 24-48 hours following the catastrophe, thanks to the modern miracle of social networks like You Tube, Facebook, and Twitter.

According to a special report posted on CNN.com today by Mia Farrow, actress and ambassador for UNICEF, “Haiti, just one hour from the U.S. by plane, is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. More than 80 percent of Haiti’s people live in abject poverty. In recent years, it has been battered by hurricanes, wracked by political violence, food insecurity and neglect. Even before the earthquake, many of Haiti’s children lived without the most basic necessities: clean water, adequate food, health care and the opportunity for an education.”

So I guess a fair question would be this: why does it take a national disaster for our entrails to turn? I guess I know the answer to that question. Guts have their own logic. It’s just too bad that our guts are not in tune with Jesus’ guts, or they would be turning a lot more often.