I am aware of so many who read the news, spend too much time on social media and allow themselves to become upset over the terrible state of affairs in the church and the world.

If you are one who is regularly upset, worried, fretful, dismayed, angry and concerned I would remind you of several important facts about the modern world in which we live.

First. Remember that with modern means of communication we now have instant access to news from the entire globe. Not only do we have instant access, but probably someone had their cellphone out, recorded the event and put it up on Twitter. Consequently we hear about famines in Africa, revolutions in Asia, economic disaster in Europe, war in Russia, killings, murders, rapes, child abuse and just about every horror you can imagine from all over the world.

Secondly, remember that the news organizations thrive on bad news, not good news. The newspaper editors (and those who run websites) still follow the old dictum, “If it bleeds, it leads”. They focus on the horror, the gossip, the infidelity, the adultery, the crimes of humanity because that is where the big drama is.

Thirdly, if there is a religious dimension to the crime it pumps the story even bigger. If the criminal is a priest, monk, bishop or pope then the “Shock horror!!” is even bigger, more dramatic and newsworthy.

Consequently, it is easy to allow oneself to drift into a state of permanent dismay and even despair over the state of affairs.

In the face of this I would remind you to read Psalm 37. Here are the first eleven verses.

Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.

Are you troubled by the insanity of immorality, the lunacy of the left, the violence of those consumed by irrational rage, the grief of those driven by resentment and fear? Do not fret. They will vanish like smoke in the wind.

Those who pursue evil will vanish like smoke because there is no ultimate substance to their actions or their thoughts. Remember that evil is never a positive, objective quality of its own. It has no original substance. Evil is, by its very nature, parasitic on the good. Evil is a lie and a lie is the absence or the distortion or destruction of truth. Evil is ugly: it is the absence, the distortion or the destruction of the beautiful. Evil is bad. It is the absence, the distortion or the destruction of the Good.

Therefore do not fret. The ultimate defeat of evil is built into evil itself.  A lie cannot stand forever because it is built on quicksand. Evil cannot stand forever anymore than darkness can overcome the light.

A little while and the wicked will be no more.

The recent Dobbs case in the USA in which the right to abortion was shifted to the individual states–and the reaction to this is an illustration of my point. After fifty years the unjust, decision to enable violence against the most vulnerable members of society crumbled. It could not stand just as the law allowing slavery could not stand. The reaction of pro abortion people from ordinary citizens to celebrities and politicians also illustrates my point. They reacted with self righteous, irrational rage. They knew they could not take a righteous stance in favor of infanticide and abortion, so they hid behind the righteous pose of “women’s health care”.

But do not fret yourself because of evildoers.

 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.