Daily Bible Reflections - January 7,2013

TRUE OR FALSE

 

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. — 1 John 4:1

 

Three fully made-up and identically dressed contestants enter the stage. A male celebrity guest will try to guess who the real girl is among the three. If he guesses correctly, he wins the cash prize; if not, the prize goes to the contestant

whom he thought was a girl. The three contestants employ different tactics to deceive the celebrity. They change their

voices, act and walk in a weird manner, and give silly answers to serious questions. This surely gives the celebrity a big headache. There are times when the celebrity-guesser picks the wrong contestant.

“Our world is filled with voices claiming to speak for God,” a Bible commentary says. We may be deceived by the

eloquence of their words, not noticing that their lives speak of a different gospel. St. John reminds us to “test the spirits to see whether they belong to God.” Do they walk their talk? What are the fruits of their ministry? Do they point towards God and not to themselves? Is the message they proclaim consistent with Jesus’ teachings? Be vigilant and see if they pass the test. Judith Concepcion (svp_jmc@yahoo.com)

 

Reflection: Do you accept everything that you hear or see as absolute truth? Be discerning lest it lead you into a trap.

 

Lord, grant me a discerning spirit that I may not be led astray. St. Raymund of Penyafort, priest, pray for us.