Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - Twenty-third Tuesday in Ordinary Time
[Colossians 2:6-25 and Luke 6:12-19]See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ.
It doesn't take very long on the internet to find out that things haven't changed much since the days when St. Paul preached. In his time there was an amazing variety of "mystery cults," Roman and Greek and other pagan deities, and some "nature religions." Those "elemental powers of the world" are particularly prominent in some forms of "New Age" religion. Worship of celestial "bodies" such as the sun, moon and stars and fertility worship seem to be as old as the human race. St. Paul wasn't kidding when he used the word "seductive!" In our own time, the near worship of scientific method and human reason support the development of the secular a-religious culture and government that characterize American and European life. It is true that other cultures, Christian and non-Christian, where religious ideals and civil government are co-extensive, can be every bit as oppressive as an anti-religious regime. The conflicts that can arise sometimes result in atrocities such as the terrorist attacks commemorated today in the USA. St. Paul's concern is not so much for the broad societal reach of the early Christian community, who were a tiny minority, but for the commitment and integrity of their faith in Christ. Such faith should give rise to love and not to violence. But such faith must adhere to the truth about Jesus and not to human traditions. The same may be said for us today except that Christianity is no longer a tiny minority, and should lead the way by speaking the truth in love without a gun or bomb to enforce it. AMEN
config
view
logs
4096.0 KB
73 ms
4
