Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
I suffered through Jesus Christ Superstar several years ago as hundreds of people around me celebrated their belief in a popular rendering of Jesus. I was very happy to celebrate our faith the next morning with the Eucharist. We don't need rock opera to feel God's presence; faith is more than sufficient.
The apostles were well aware of the seductive power of stories, legends and fables as they insisted that we do not follow cleverly concocted myths. A good yarn is fascinating and pleasing, and plastic. You can make it bend in any direction, even to promote a meaning entirely unknown and alien to the author. Where the Gospels insist that Jesus rose from the dead and was seen, touched, and ate with his disciples, some people will argue that the resurrection is only symbolic language. "It's a great story!" they say, "and very meaningful." but they do not take up their crosses daily and follow in his steps.
Saint Peter urges his church to pay attention to the prophetic message as altogether reliable. If it's prophetic, it will not attract a mass market. Television viewers will not tune in to hear it, nor will sponsors want to underwrite it. Social media might broadcast gossip about it, and twits can tweet about it, but the prophetic message will be heard only from flesh-and-blood speakers who speak face-to-face to embodied spirits in front of them. The encounter with God is a meeting with another human being. There is no other medium.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.