But now, Lady*, I ask you, not as
though I were writing a new commandment, but the one we have had from the
beginning: let us love one another. For
this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the
commandment, as you heard from the beginning, in which you should walk.
Many deceivers have gone out into
the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh;
such is the deceitful one and the antichrist. Look to yourselves that you do not lose what
we worked for but may receive a full recompense.
Anyone who is so “progressive” as
not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains
in the teaching has the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this
doctrine, do not receive him in your house or even greet him; for whoever
greets him shares in his evil works. (2John 5-11)
*The “Lady” whom John is writing to, is the growing Catholic
Church in the first century, but John’s advice is timeless and oh so needed in
today’s world! Here is my interpretation
of his advice:
When "progress" means redefining the truth to suit
our own purposes, we no longer have God, as today's first reading at mass
points out. "Progressive" decisions occur when we allow ourselves to
be swayed by the winds of non-Christian influences. We're most vulnerable to
this when we don't like what the Church teaches, which happens because we don't
understand what the Church is really teaching. To use the analogy that Jesus
provides in the Gospel reading, "wherever the carcass is, there the
vultures will gather." (Luke 17:37) We flock to what's decaying, because
the world tells us it's appetizing and we choose to believe it.
The "antichrist" or "deceiver" is anyone
who rejects the truth. We can discern what is not a truth - what is not truly
of God - by its unloving character and its unscriptural basis. However, love
and scripture are often claimed as validations for deceptions. We must become
better educated, double-checking everything against the documents of the Church
(which are readily available on the internet), because these teachings are
based upon and help explain the scriptures.
Every day, we're exposed to the ideas and pressures of
people who are gambling with their eternal happiness. Several prominent “Catholic
‘Progressive’” politicians from both parties come to mind, as well as some "believers" who would like to "Make America Great Again".
I will not name names, as I don’t wish to “bring him/her into my house
and therefore share in their evil works”. They are like the folks in Noah's
day, as Jesus pointed out, doing what feels right to them up until the very
end, without regard to the warnings and commandments of God. They think they're
sparing themselves from unhappiness and destruction, but "whoever tries to
preserve his life by his own methods will lose it."
The laws, norms, and regulations of the Catholic Church are
based on the supreme Law of Love so that we remain eternally alive in the
saving love of Jesus Christ. If you doubt any of it, research it. If you doubt
the adaptations, research it. If you see Church rules being practiced without
love, don't let others dictate your understanding of the rules, research it.
There is no excuse for mixing untruths with the truth, not in today's
Information Age.
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