What Do You Believe?

August 23, Tuesday of the 21st Week in Ordinary Time/St. Rose of Lima, Virgin
Daily readings: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 and Matthew 23:23-26

Without a solid foundation of our faith, we fall into attractive lies and poison our souls.

In an era when fake news proliferates, and each one claims to be speaking the truth, we are all prone to believing something untrue. But how do we know?

Our first reading tells us how – to focus on the message of the Gospel, listen only to the Word of God and hold fast to the oral and written traditions by way of letters from our Church. Today’s reading very much supports our Church’s teaching regarding the Holy Scriptures and Apostolic tradition as the basis of what we believe.

Thousands of data are available at the click of a finger. Indeed, it can be confusing to be bombarded with so much information. Without a solid foundation, we can be easily dissuaded and fall into the trap filled with very attractive lies that poison the soul.

Examples of these are messages or information that tell us we have authority over our bodies thus, and we can do whatever makes us feel good. We also hear a lot of information that promotes same-sex relationships as good because those are just being true to themselves. And what do we do? We blend into these untruths, tolerating them and even rooting for them.

When we become supporters and promoters, worse perpetrators of actions or behaviors contrary to our oral and written traditions, we become hypocrites, as mentioned in the Gospel. While we claim to be Christians, believers, and followers of Christ, inside us and our actions show our Christian character. We appear good to many because we blend with them, but we have violated our natural calling.

In this world, where ‘not blending’ and ‘not going with the flow are bullied and discriminated against, all the more that we should cling to the truth and message of the Gospel. While the world harshly judges us according to its terms, maybe not forget that only the Lord can truly judge us. As the Psalms proclaim, “The Lord comes to judge the earth.”