Page 11 - Good News August 2005 paper

It was Christmas Eve in 1908, braying, eyes distended in wild time to note that the dashing, of the wreckage, the dismal
but the citizens of Messina, Italy, and staring terror. Horses, cavorting animals suddenly screams of the wretched
were not planning the traditional mules and oxen neighed, stood stock still, with legs inhabitants were heard. The
observances of the birth of bawled and trembled in every braced far apart. Then, as the beautiful city of Messina and
Christ, because they were an limb, pointing their ears surface of the earth heaved like surrounding districts were
atheistic community. forward, and rolling their glaring the billows of the sea, buildings destroyed. There were few
In its Christmas issue on the eyes. shook and swayed, tilted and survivors to tell of the horrors
21st, the town newspaper, Il Il Geese, pigeons and other tumbled, crushing the horrified experienced. Seventy-five
Telefono, blatantly irreligious in domestic fowls fluttered wildly townspeople as they fled.
Telefono, thousand inhabitants were
tone, had published an ugly in fright. Even wild birds flew The sky let loose a torrent of wiped out!
parody defying God and daring screaming through the air in rain, with thunder and chilling – The Mighty Hand of God by
Him to make Himself known by obvious alarm. Fishes in the sea winds. Lightning darted with Katherine Pollard Carter
sending an earthquake. rose to the surface and floated frightening speed. Ground
Now, on the very eve of there, alive, but inert. They were thunder roared incessantly. The
Christmas, the city council, in caught in large numbers. The first concussion leveled the
the same disparaging mood, wind began to howl; the sea strongest buildings. Mountains
passed a series of shockingly began to toss and roar. were thrown down. Level fields
disrespectful and irreverent Underground noises like the were raised up. Streams of water
resolutions flouting God. In rolling of thunder could be gushed forth from dry rocks.
effect, the resolutions mocked heard. Pools and streams appeared
God on behalf of the entire Then, only three hours after the where none had existed before.
community. passage of the infamous Olive trees were overturned.
No sooner had the defamatory “Christmas Resolutions” by the Half an olive orchard moved off
actions of the town council been city council, came the warning its owner’s acreage.
accepted by the unprotesting signs of the earthquake the local Chasms opened to swallow
people than distress and panic newspaper had so mockingly people, animals, trees, or
seemed to enter into all the dared God to send upon the rubble. Some of them closed
animals quartered in the town town. With the first shock of the again entombing their victims
and the outlying districts. quake, the frightened people, forever. Roads were cracked
Dogs and donkeys began understanding at last the reason and destroyed.
dashing about in frantic but for the animal behaviour Amidst the crash of falling
aimless distress, howling and exhibited all around them, had houses and the flickering flames