Word to the Wise
Monday, January 7, 2013 - Jan. 7 - St. Raymond of Peñafort, priest
[1 John 3:22 - 4:6 and Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25]Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [! John]
Debates about the identity of Jesus lasted a long time - centuries! The first scripture today shows a concern for "false prophets" who may have been denying that Jesus was the messiah or was "of God." The letter says such people "belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them." Any study of the history of religion in the United States alone would show that the concern expressed more than a thousand years ago is still valid. There have been some rather fanciful versions of Christianity and some very colorful figures.
There is considerable variation in the world of Christianity, and even within Catholicism. But we do have an official way of "testing the spirits" that we call the "magisterium" of the church. Ultimately there is an authority in our church which can say whether or not a given "spirit" can be trusted. We have to have faith that this magisterium and the faith of the church about Jesus Christ is true. Christ promised that the Holy Spirit would "lead us to all truth." That is where our ultimate trust, expressed in those chosen to lead us, must rest. AMEN
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