Nothing New 

   “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, ‘You are mad, you are not like us.’”  (St. Anthony of the Desert, circa 350 AD). 

   I always find it interesting when I come across quotes like that above.  As early as 350 AD it was evident that a madness was coming that would attack those who were not mad, probably meaning those who believe in Christ.  It was real then, and it is just as real today.

   Society has, in many ways, gone mad.  And, as Anthony predicted, they see those who do not agree with them and indict them as the ones who are mad.  It’s been that way since Jesus walked the earth and it will continue until He comes again.

   Ecclesiastes tells us “What has been, will be; what has been done, that will be done.  Nothing is new under the sun.” (Eccl 1: 9).  So, the question becomes what can we do about it?  If the past will repeat; if the madness of generations past will continue into generations to come, how are we to combat the madness?

   Without trying to be flippant, we can ignore it and get on with our life with Christ.  If we try to fix all that needs to be fixed, we will become mad ourselves.  Only God can set things right and He will do so in His own good time.  Until then we can endure the chaos and live our life as he desires, knowing that in the end the madness will be overcome.

   There is great peace is acceptance; not of the madness but of the fact that it exists and there is little we can do to change it.  When we accept and acknowledge that only God can overcome the madness we can place our frustrations and heartaches in His merciful hands and live in the peace of His love and mercy. 

The world is a maddening place.

We see it everywhere we look.

Only You can overcome the insanity.

Give us the serenity to place our trust in You. 

Amen