The first reading of the day, from the first letter of St John, offers us some guidelines in discerning the spirit of truth from that of falsehood. The criteria John offers is based on whether the prophecy or words coming to us carry the name of Jesus. If yes, then they are from the true God; if not, they are from the evil one.
I wonder if the same criteria is applicable and relevant even today. If going by Jesus' name alone we can cleave the truth from the untruth. If viewed from a purely religious perspective, it may cause more harm than good, if we adamantly stick to this criteria to be universal. More than ever, today the world looks for authenticity, integrity and wholeness. If what is presented to us covers all aspects of life; not just the material and economical, but the spiritual, emotional, social... that it is for the good of all and not just me and those dear to me... that it is for all the time to come and not just beneficial immediately, here and now... perhaps these are some of the factors that would help me discern the validity of any prophecy or message.
On the other hand, if I look at Jesus' message, the Gospels, it contains all the above and more. Hence John is not too far off the mark or being too parochial in citing Jesus as the criteria of distinguishing between what is from God and what is not.
I wonder if the same criteria is applicable and relevant even today. If going by Jesus' name alone we can cleave the truth from the untruth. If viewed from a purely religious perspective, it may cause more harm than good, if we adamantly stick to this criteria to be universal. More than ever, today the world looks for authenticity, integrity and wholeness. If what is presented to us covers all aspects of life; not just the material and economical, but the spiritual, emotional, social... that it is for the good of all and not just me and those dear to me... that it is for all the time to come and not just beneficial immediately, here and now... perhaps these are some of the factors that would help me discern the validity of any prophecy or message.
On the other hand, if I look at Jesus' message, the Gospels, it contains all the above and more. Hence John is not too far off the mark or being too parochial in citing Jesus as the criteria of distinguishing between what is from God and what is not.
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