God is constant
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
The pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus continues to cause upheaval in the lives of us all. It dominates the daily news. We follow with concern its spread across nations and, closer to home, its effect on the life of Victorians.
While we enjoy living in a bubble where we are relatively safe, we are still exposed to a range of restrictions. Travel to visit family in other states is extremely difficult. Many have been unable to attend funerals of close family members interstate. While we are encouraged to take holidays within Tasmania, we feel the restrictions on visiting places outside.
There is a human toll which affects us all. So many of the simple elements of human interaction are being curtailed. For many people, particularly those caught in difficult situations, like those in Victoria or people stranded overseas, mental health is a matter of real concern.
The experience of fear is affecting many people. There is the fear of catching the virus. There is also fear associated with complying with the new rules of social distancing and hygiene. There is fear in many about their personal financial wellbeing. There is an evident fear affecting the lives of many.
The longer there is need to impose restrictions on normal human life, the more the sense of fear for the future grows.
With this fear comes anxiety which sometimes boils over into intemperate reactions and gives rise to anger.
Even if we are currently enjoying relative security in relation to the presence and spread of the virus, we are all affected in one way or another.
We all need support. There are many human helps available and these can be sought.
However, there is another vital means of support which should not be overlooked or dismissed too lightly. It is to entrust ourselves to God, especially if we experience the rise of fear in our hearts.
Faith is a great source of comfort and reassurance during times of darkness and uncertainty.
We know that God is constant. God is a sure rock, a refuge.
God is constant in His oversight of creation.
As St Paul said to the Athenian philosophers on the Areopagus, “For in Him we live, and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) God sustains human life. God sustains our life – day by day.
God is constant in His love.
As the psalmist says (Ps 36),
Lord, your constant love reaches the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the skies.
Your righteousness is towering like the mountains;
your justice is like the depths of the sea.
People and animals are in your care.
How precious, O God, is your constant love!
We find protection under the shadow of your wings.
We feast on the abundant food you provide;
you let us drink from the river of your goodness.
You are the source of all life”.
And God is constant in His mercy.
Again we can turn to the psalms. Psalm 136 has a constant refrain: “For His mercy endures forever.”
It begins,
O, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
O, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
O, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
While human life ebbs and flows, moving from peace to disturbance, from calm to turbulence, from hope to fear, from confidence to anxiety, God is constant.
The readings today remind us that God’s ways are far above human ways.
In the parable about the workers in the vineyard, the Lord reveals how human reasoning is eclipsed by divine generosity. And in the first reading the prophet echoes the voice of God when he says, “My thoughts above your thoughts”.
Thus, in the midst of all the uncertainties of this time of pandemic, let us not lose trust in God. Let us turn to Him who is steady and a sure foundation. God is constant, and we can rest in Him.
Archbishop Julian Porteous
Sunday, September 20, 2020