The Lesson of Sodom and Gomorrha
July 1, 2025
Today’s reading from the Book of Genesis confronts us with one of the most sobering moments in Sacred Scripture: the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha by fire and brimstone raining down from Heaven. The cities were consumed, not simply by natural disaster, but by divine judgment. The cry of sin had reached Heaven—and the Lord answered with justice.
“And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven” (Genesis 19:24).
Lot and his family were warned. They were urged not to linger:
“Arise, and take thy wife, and the two daughters which thou hast: lest thou also perish with the wicked of the city” (Genesis 19:15).
But even as angels urged them, Lot hesitated. The temptation to delay, to look back, to soften the warning—this remains a deadly temptation today.
Our world stands in a similar place. We are drowning in a culture that celebrates impurity, mocks God’s law, and defies the natural order. And yet, we go on as if there will be no reckoning. We brush aside Heaven’s warnings. We hesitate.
The sin of Sodom was not merely about lust. It was about pride, rejection of God’s design, and the complete inversion of truth and goodness. It was the final stage of a people who had forgotten God and made idols of their passions. And let us not deceive ourselves: such sin cries out to Heaven still.
The fire that fell was not only punishment—it was a sign. A sign that God is not mocked. A sign that wickedness has consequences. A sign that Divine Mercy does not eliminate Divine Justice.
“And his wife looking behind her, was turned into a statue of salt” (Genesis 19:26).
She looked back. She could not let go. How many today, even those in the Church, hesitate to leave behind the ways of the world? How many still turn back toward what God is calling them to flee?
Brothers and sisters, the Gospel is good news—but it is not soft news. The same Lord who came to save us is the One who warned us that the days of Lot would return (cf. Luke 17:28–30). And we are living in them now.
The Lord is patient. The Lord is merciful. But His warnings are not empty. His justice is real. And His call is urgent.
+Joseph
Thank you Bishop
I’ve had this feeling in my gut for quite a while now that we are indeed entering the end times. I am deeply saddened to see my brothers and sisters oblivious to this fact. Pray pray pray everybody. God bless us
Most loved Bishop Strickland,
You are the best with catechism !
It is Sacred Scripture . It is history.
Secular history:
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" is a well-known quote, often attributed to George Santayana.