7th Sunday after Pentecost 28.7.19 False prophets
There will be wolves in sheep’s clothing, Our Lord tells us
(Mt 7,15). He warns us against false prophets.
We can take ‘prophet’ to mean anyone who speaks with
authority on a matter of faith or morals. The higher the rank of the person
making the statement the more risk there is of damage, if the statement is
wrong.
False prophets tend to err on the side of being too cheerful
in their messages; too much inclined to say Yea when they should say Nay,
to tell people what they want to hear, instead of what they need to
hear.
Thus they bring people to a false sense of security and
cause much harm accordingly.
The people will not repent if they think what they are doing
is fine with God.
This is our problem with much of the Church today. People no
longer confess, or even conceal what, a few years ago, they would have known
was a mortal sin.
The false prophet will tell you that the Church is behind
the times, and needs to update. Or that Catholics need to embrace the world,
instead of condemning it, etc
False prophets make themselves very popular because they are
telling people what they want to hear: For the time is coming when people will not
endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for
themselves teachers to suit their own likings. 2 Tim 4,3).
A true prophet will not worry whether or not he is pleasing
the audience. He will simply say what God wants to be said. This will
ultimately please those who respond to it, inasmuch as it will bring them into union
with God.
The true prophet is likely to be unpopular, even to the
point of losing his life (eg John the Baptist, Our Lord Himself, and countless
other martyrs.)
Many in the Church are trying to restore true teaching, the
proper fear of the Lord, and the reality of all that has been obscured in
recent years. This is not to scare people but to save them.
It is so easy under temptation to take the path of least
resistance, the easy way out; especially if there is someone on hand to tell
you there is no problem with such a course.
But with a little effort one can take the harder road.
We want to restore pride of place to God Himself; to try to
please Him, not ourselves or others.
Church teaching is available if we really want to know. We
just have to be aware that we cannot necessarily trust every individual, or
every publication for advice.
We have the whole of 2000 years of saints, popes, councils,
catechisms to call upon; we are not confined to the most recent publications or
utterances.
Out of our history there emerges a discernible body of
teaching, which is consistent with itself, over time and at every point.
St Paul and others were aware how savagely this teaching would
be attacked in the years to come (cf Acts 20.29). We have to be aware of this
battle for truth, and to make ourselves strong enough to hold firm, lest we
with ‘itching ears’ go after some harmful novelty.
We take our place in defending the faith, holding to it,
living by it; where we can, explaining it.
We pray for those who are currently in error; and for a widespread
return of confused and misled people to the security of the truth, God's truth.
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