Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
False prophets have criticized the Church for its defense of human life from conception to natural death. The critics say that Catholic doctrine does not have compassion on those suffering from an unwanted pregnancy or for those who have lost their faculties. In today’s gospel Jesus gives a lesson to his disciples about who really are false prophets.
Jesus may well have in mind the Pharisees who quote the Scriptures but seem to avoid their intentions. True prophets convey God’s will to the people by word and deed. They do not simply pacify people or make them feel good. Rather they work to improve people’s stature before God. True prophets make people more God-like. False prophets lead people to dishonesty and contentiousness. False prophets are wolves under the appearance of shepherds.
God’s will often challenges us to do what is hard. Caring for an old, feeble person and nurturing a fetus and newborn are not easy tasks. However, they make the practitioners stronger and more loving. Even more importantly, such practice does no harm. Much to the contrary, it respects people in their initial and final stages of life as true images of God.
