The New Testament writers, especially in their letters, worried about all the distorted and phony gospels that were making the rounds. The Roman Empire was abuzz with religious doctrines. They could not meditate on movie stars or ponders sports stats so they discussed heavy theological issues like how soon the world might end and how many layers separate pure spirit from pure matter.
Just as irreligious people today speculate about ghosts and paranormal experience while religious people fancy out-of-body moments and appearances of angels, so did the ancients discuss irrelevant religious notions of their time.
But Christian evangelists, preachers and prophets continually turned the attention of their congregations back to faith in Jesus Christ. That involved penance for their sins, a change of heart, fearlessness in the face of adversity, charity toward the needy and endless patience. The End would come but no one could say when. Speculating about it was valuable time wasted.
Worse, some speculation led to immoral behavior. If the second coming of Christ was near, why work? What is the point of working hard for a better tomorrow when there will be no tomorrow? Why should I work for daily bread when the Church will feed me out of Christian charity? If the end is near why marry or have children? If Jesus has saved me, why not enjoy free love and open marriage?
Even today, despite the intense devotion of Protestants and Catholics to the Bible, millions of people fasten their minds and hearts on fantastic irrelevancies. Some dismember the Sacred Books in an effort to prove their alternate theories about evolution. Others comb through the Old and New Testaments looking for predictions of the end time. Not even Jesus’ insistence that no one knows when it will occur can dissuade them from their mad pursuit.
But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,* but only the Father.
And so the Church continually invokes the spirit, example and teachings of the Apostles to direct our attention back to faith. Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Philip and James. We have little biographical information about these men. We know they were followers of Jesus; they were among the Twelve; and they were faithful. By keeping the feast we pray that we too will keep to the narrow way that Jesus shows us.
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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.