In His great work the City of God…
St. Augustine describes the long conflict between those devoted to God’s eternal values (the City of God) and those committed to the passing pleasures of this world (the City of Man).
In the book, Augustine warns the City of God will be “hemmed in, hard pressed, and shut up in the straits of tribulation…”
Yet he goes on to say “.. it will not abandon its warfare.”
It’s not hard to take these words as a sober assessment of our own time…
… as those who believe in God’s standards of truth, goodness and beauty seem to be on the losing side.
But at the same time, Augustine inspires us to not give up the struggle…
… as it remains the ongoing call of God’s people to defy evil and overcome it with good.
In our own day of darkness, let us not lay down and give up.
Let us keep fighting the good fight.
The light of the world has come, giving us a vision of His kingdom.
And we can take heart in knowing the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5).