Epistle: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:5 "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do the things we command. May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."

Gospel: St. Luke 13:1-9 "Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' " 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

OT: Judges 19:22-28, especially vs. 22: "And they [the old man and his guests] were comforting their hearts, when behold, the men of the city, sons of transgressors, compassed the house, knocking at the door; and they spoke to the old man the owner of the house, saying, 'Bring out the man who came into they house, that we may know him.'"

In his essay, Terrorism: The Ritual of the Devil, Harun Yabya, says plainly that "the Devil is often behind certain events which impel human societies into disaster and which cause harm to the innocent." Could this grizzly instance of violated hospitality have been anything less than a work of Satan? Only those who already have wholly given over control of their lives to the enemy could even consider such actions as the men of Gibeah carried out.

What light does God reveal to our hearts from this terrible record of despicable events? First is the knowledge that the revulsion and grief which arises in us as we read of blatant evil is ours by the grace of God through Whom "we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor 2:16). Second, our Lord kindly is warning us to turn away from the first hints of craving by our passions, for He knows well the weakness of our flesh before the power of the evil one. Being Lover of mankind, He would save us from maniacal corruption. Third, the Lord contrasts the beauty and warmth of genuine hospitality with a most terrifying account of violated hospitality so that, anticipating sudden reversals in this life, we may receive whatever happens with peace of heart and soul, knowing that even the worst comes to us by Divine allowance.

Horror and repugnance are healthy responses to unbounded depredation. If a hostage is beheaded by a fanatic, the feelings of grief, loathing, and anger are God-given. They are evidence of His grace at work in us. However, if we couple the revulsion, which God in His grace places in our hearts, with hatred toward the killers, we spoil and waste the grace by which we are able to detest evil. And if we are proud that we never would participate in violent acts of savagery, let us reconsider and confess our sin of pride to God and acknowledge the weakness in our flesh that could allow us to join in some vicious mob action. The gift of the "mind of Christ" is just that - a gift, a blessing from God to keep us far from terrible feelings and actions engendered by Satan.

We think of St. Paul as an example and proponent of every effort to attain "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22-23) , yet he calls himself "chief" among sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). Are we better than the great Apostle to the Gentiles? It is fearsome to face one's capacity for barbarity and mania, yet blessed is the Christian who encounters the power of evil to stir the heart and repents for his own readiness to take up "the first stone" (Jn 8:7).

Let us pray for the grace of God to keep us from every sin and to be unceasingly watchful over our hearts, ready to reject every suggestion from the Devil to indulge our passions. The old man, who provided hospitality to the travelers who came in innocence, was ready even to offer his virgin daughter, but the Levite intervened to save the maiden by "[laying] hold of his concubine, and [bringing] her out" to the crazed men of Gibeah (Jdgs 19:25). Both the old man and the Levite knew that hospitality is sacred and inviolable.

Finally, let us ever be aware of how quickly pleasantry and good times can become shattered and thrown into the past, as when a terrorist walks into a wedding party and blows himself up. The comfort of heart enjoyed by those in the old man's home was rudely ended by the demands of the mob at the door to "know" the stranger (vs. 22). Still when reversals intrude, let us pray God to "teach us to treat all that comes to us throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Thy will governs all."