|
It is not uncommon today to hear a report that someone has
received a vision or revelation that the coming of the Lord and the day of
judgment is imminent. It should be noted how this phenomenon was already in the Church at the time of Saint Paul. Saint Paul warns about this as we see in
today's Second Reading.
“As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being
gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly
shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though
from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.”
Indeed, this problem has already been addressed by the
Lord as recorded in Mark's gospel where we read;
“But about that
day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only
the Father. Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come.” Mark
13:32-33. Having faith means putting one's trust in that which is unseen. The conviction of faith is rooted deep within the spirit of the believer, not in physical evidence. St. Ignatius, in his rules for discernment warns that the Deceiver attacks the believer at the heart of their faith, causing as St. Paul says in today's reading, "... to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed." These attacks can be very, very convincing. Often, people thus influenced withdraw from the world, sometimes as groups or movements. They are no longer working with the Church and its on-going mission of evangelization and healing in a divided and broken world - "because the end is near." Jesus promised never to abandon His Church, His Body ever present and active in the world. It is within the Church that authentic discernment is to found.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment