Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - Tuesday in the 23th Week in Ordinary Time
[Col 2:6-15 and Luke 6:12-19]As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 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. [Colossians]
SEPTEMBER 9 ST. PETER CLAVER, SJ [usa]
Many of the ancient pagan religions had a deity for almost every aspect of human life. Earth, air, fire and water - basic elements -, for example, each had a "god" that controlled them. Polytheism was, and in certain places still is, the religio-cultural norm. Judaism and Christianity stood out for their monotheistic faiths. In the case of Christianity, our faith focuses on the one and triune God who became human, suffered, died and rose from the dead. The Colossians had heard this message, but they were endangering it by different forms of "syncretism" ("cherrypicking" elements from other traditions). The Letter to the Colossians was an effort to keep them "on message!"
Although one should respect the "rays of truth" that may come from non-Christian belief, especially Judaism, those rays of truth must be discerned carefully and purified from elements that may accompany them that are not in accord with our faith and Tradition. The Colossians were being theologically "sloppy," and needed encouragement to avoid "empty seductive philosophy according to the tradition of men."
The history of religion in America is full of instances of those philosophies getting into Christian faith. The common word (besides the technical "syncretism") to describe this is "superstition." Catholicism is not immune to this problem. That is why we have authoritative teachers and resources to keep us "on message." AMEN