Monday of Epiphany Week 2020
It’s a good idea to read St. John’s words in this first letter perhaps every week of our lives, because in it we find the key to happiness and fulfillment. John says “we receive from [God] whatever we ask.” Hmm, that’s interesting. And we recall that Jesus Himself said “ everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” So why doesn’t everyone get all the money they ask for, movie-star looks and great high-paying jobs and all the creature comforts they want? Why indeed? Perhaps we should read on, then.
Oh, here’s the catch: “because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” St. John is telling us about the life of a saint, one who keeps the two great commandments to love God and love neighbor. Specifically, loving God involves committing ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and effectively loving each other as Jesus loved us: “We should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” That’s not a suggestion. That’s a demand from the One who loved us so much that He delivered Himself to wicked men to be crucified, so that He could do battle with the Evil One and win for us eternal life and resurrection.
If, in fact, we imitate Our Lord and pray as He did, then the only really important objective in our lives is that each of us and our family members end our lives in the arms of the Savior, and rejoice for all eternity with them in the vision of God. So we receive from God whatever we ask because we ask for what we actually need to live and to share the Gospel. That’s our daily bread, of course, but it’s also the grace to forgive our enemies, resist temptation, give right praise to God and help our fellow man. The sports car and the caviar and the worldly success and all those creature comforts are not necessities. In fact, from someone who has enjoyed those things I can attest that they are distractions from our ultimate end, our final and most important goal–union with God and the other saints in heaven.
John also shares with us some excellent advice, which echoes similar passages in St. Paul’s letters. He tells us: “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Now in charismatic communities, both then and now, members exercise the gift of prophecy. That means they speak for God. I’m doing that now, commissioned by the Church to stand up and preach to help you understand the Word of God for your life. Unordained folks can also claim the gift of prophecy, by writing books or teaching classes or in prayer meetings standing up and just saying things they believe the Holy Spirit wants to tell the community. So whether the prophet is ordained or not, John is telling us to not just swallow what is said, but to routinely “test” the spirits to see if they are “of God.” That’s called discernment of spirits, and it is also a gift, typically one exercised by pastors and chief teachers. You might remember in the Catholic Church that books are submitted to authorities and then printed once they are found to contain nothing objectionable. That’s the meaning of words like nihil obstat in the front of a book.
So how do we exercise the gift of discernment without authority speaking to the prophetic utterance? First, is the spirit encouraging us to do good or evil? That’s pretty easy to decide. Second, imagine yourself doing what is being encouraged, and having done it. Will it give you only sensual pleasure or satisfaction? Then it’s almost certainly not from a good person. Will it help others? Then it’s probably a good spirit. Our role here on earth is not ego gratification. It’s to attain our final joyous end and help others to do the same. And always, especially in a major decision, take the idea or proposal to someone you know to be wise and giving and centered on helping others.
Today Jesus, through the Scriptures and through real prophets, is calling this sad world to “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” We exercise this prophetic gift every time we encounter one of the sad and hopeless people around us, or in our families, and share the love we have experienced here in sacrament. We must pray daily that those we love turn to Jesus Christ, for those who take refuge in Him from the evils of this world are truly blessed.
