He who perseveres to the end will be saved

Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

On Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time our Church invites us to reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (9:7---10:4) entitled “God’s wrath against Israel”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop.

Saint Augustine was a late fourth century, theologian and philosopher, and Bishop of Hippo, Roman North Africa. He is also a preeminent Catholic Doctor of the Church. His writings influenced the development of western philosophy and western Christianity, and he is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Period.

The book of Isaiah is filled with sobering accounts of Israel's sin and rebellion and warnings of their coming judgement. But along with warnings, Isaiah also offers a message of hope—a suffering servant, a coming Messiah, who would come to establish God's Kingdom on Earth and create a new Jerusalem.