many deceivers so look to yourselves

2 John 4-9; Ps 119 Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord; Luke 17:26-37


John points out in his letter that there are many deceivers out there.  If there were many deceivers in his time then that number has certainly grown exponentially in our time.

The deceivers John speaks of are those who do not acknowledge Jesus in the flesh.

Then John gives the command, "look to yourselves that you do not lose what we worked for but may receive a full recompense."

Look to yourselves!


Are we one of those deceivers?  What in our life suggest we acknowledge Christ come in the flesh?  More importantly what in our life suggest to others that we don't acknowledge Christ in the flesh?

Remember to acknowledge Christ means there are those things that are no longer options in our life.

I truly love the last line of the first reading, "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."

Instantly i think about all those women religious out there who rebuke the church for her teachings on sexuality and contraception and health care and the like.  IT makes you wonder whether they are truly in love with Christ or themselves.

They claim to be "progressive" but wants the point if it leads to abandoning the faith.

Lastly, i direct your attention to the gospel.
The words of Christ are striking, "Remember the wife of Lot."

Go back and reread the story of Lot and his wife.  God was leading them to safety.  God was rescuing them from danger.  They were on their way to a place of refreshment and peace.

All they had to do was listen, no matter the noise and sounds coming from behind them, they needed to just keep walking.

Yet, the wife of Lot could not resist the burning curiosity; she could not resist the urge to stop and turn around, to change diction, to disobey the command of the one who was going to set them free.

Here is a ancient description of the modern problem; we are like the wife of Lot.  We hear the command but don't believe it.  We too have let our curiosity run wild.

We refuse to restrain our desires and appetites for the fanatical. We just have to look one more time.

Keep moving forward in heeding the command of Christ and his church this is how we are to be progressive.