I am saddened by what I see in the world. I am not surprised. I am not surprised at the violence in the streets. I am not surprised that people are celebrating the President’s COVID diagnosis and wishing he dies.
That is evil; but, it seems it is the way people are turning. People are turning hate the sin, love the sinner to a more virulent, if you think an evil is sin then you are the sinner and we hate sinners.
People of faith have seen this coming for a some time. In her 1985 visit to the United States Mother Teresa said that in a country where people fight for the right to kill babies, there is true evil. (paraphrased)
An article a couple of weeks ago in an interfaith blog told the story of a woman who left behind her Christian faith to join the Satanic Temple. She said “This Church is not about Satan. (It’s in the name). She said that the Satanic Temple was good people wanting to do good. It’s about egalitarianism, social justice, and the separation of church and state.
The devil is the great deceiver, the prince of lies. He disguises evil to easier to accept. Do not be surprise by terrible actions in a world that normalizes evil. Do not be deceived by the wild grapes planted in the vineyard.
To stand up against the evil in the world, God’s people cannot lose faith. Morals cannot slip. Eternal truths cannot be tainted.
St. Paul wrote, “Keep on doing what you have learned, received, heard and seen. The God of peace will be with you.
The word for that is perdurance. It means permanence, persistence, and to last forever. It is from the philosophical theory of persistence and identity. It is when something keeps its identity even though everything is working against it.
The things God taught through the prophets are eternal truths. The gospel of Jesus will always be the good news. Remember these things. Know these truths. Study the Gospel.
Christians suffer a lack of perdurance. Look at the reading today, it was absent from even in the LORD's vineyard.
Isaiah writes about God’s vineyard. God planted it. Fed it with his presence; but it went wild. The people of Israel looked at the ungodliness around them and liked it. They worshiped idols. They didn’t follow God’s direction.
The people of Israel still wanted to be in God’s vineyard, safe, protected and taken care of by God; but, they wanted it to be there by the rules they made.
Israel didn’t persist in what God asked. They didn't endure in their faithfulness. They failed to live up to the identify God had given them. In punishment, God abandoned protection of Israel. Israel was conquered, destroyed, and the people scattered.
Jesus tells a similar parable. To have a good vineyard, the vineyard owner had tenants to take care of the vines. They tenants became greedy and decided they wanted the fruit for themselves. God sent his servant and even his son to set the tenants straight. The rebellious tenants beat them, stoned them, and killed even the son.
The people did not endure in faith. They did not want God’s way; they wanted their own way.
Today, many look at envy on the sinfulness of those who fail God’s love. The world is now full of “what’s important to me”, ever sinking morals, and influences of the media. The vineyard is full of wild grapes. People celebrate it.
That is not what God asks of us. He asks be persistent in faith. He asks for endurance the truths he set forth. He asks believers to be permanent in that identify.
Most in the world has become like the tenants of the vineyard, not wanting to give to God the fruitfulness of our lives.
Friends, “Keep on doing what you have learned.” It is as valid today as it was when St. Paul wrote it. Follow what you have been taught and stay true to the Gospel. The Gospel does not change. God has not and does not change, forever.
Through prayer, we are given a better understanding of God’s unchanging truth. In this world full of wild grapes, you will not have to worry. You will have joy and love. You will find the peace of God.
After all, God’s love for us has perdurance, forever.
Be good, be holy, and preach the gospel by the way you live your
lives. Amen.
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