Word to the Wise
Thursday, December 30, 2021 - Dec. 30 - 6th Day in the Octave of Christmas
[1 John 2:12-17 and Luke 2:36-40]Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever. [1 John]
Way back in the pre-Vatican II days of religious life(and still heard once in awhile) was the expression, when someone left the order, "He/she 'returned to the world.'" However, the distinction between the perfect "us" and the less than perfect "them" is still a tempting one in all kinds of situations. In the times in which the Johannine letters were written, there was a movement known as "gnosticism" which based itself on having some kind of knowledge or status that made its members perfect in contrast to the rest of the "world." Scripture scholars do find traces of this kind of thinking in the Johannine literature in the New Testament, but the gnostics were really tapping into something that is far more general and exists in our own Catholic church. There will always be a group that considers itself to be the "true" or "pure" ones and everyone else is false or tainted. In biblical times, indeed, in Jesus' own time, the Essenes were a good example of this.
In the Johannine literature, the "world" principally means those who do not believe in Jesus as the one whom God has sent. That belief did indeed set Christians apart, and incited persecution. The "us" and "them" distinction shines out clearly, but there is a big difference between Christianity and gnostic ways of thinking. Christianity is dedicated to proclaiming the truth of Jesus. There is no "private" or "elite" truth or secret to the gospels. There is the challenge to follow Jesus' teachings, which are public and known.
A readily accessible example of the "world" is found in the term "secularism" which has a way of tainting all of us and requires a steady and constant effort to avoid. Our attics and garages are full of the enticements of the "world" that constantly pass away and cannot offer ultimate satisfaction. The first scripture today tells us that "whoever does the will of God remains forever." Our baptismal commitment should challenge "us" to always invite "them" to share what we have seen and heard and can touch in the person of anyone who loves as Christ has commanded us. AMEN