Wednesday of the
Seventh Week of Easter
(Acts 20:28-38; John 17:11-19)
Ideas have consequences.
Sometimes it seems that an evil act is worse than a distortion of the
truth. But distortions often cause
multiple misdeeds that dwarf the effect of a single evil act. An example of the destructive power of
mistaken ideas can be seen in Situation
Ethics which became fashionable midway through the last century. This ethical theory allows any act as long as
the actor intends to do something loving.
Many hearts are broken and much misery suffered because of loving
intentions. Both readings today warn of similarly
dismal consequences on account of erroneous ideas.
St. Paul tells the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus that
they must be mindful of false doctrine.
No doubt he has in mind the demand that pagans accept Jewish ceremonial
precepts. In the gospel Jesus prays to
the Father to preserve his disciples from evil.
It is harder to pinpoint what he has in mind here. From what Jesus did just before he began this
“Last Discourse,” he may be referring to the idea that leaders deserve places
of honor.
Truth is essential to Christian belief. We must assiduously pursue it and faithfully
live it. One truth, however, of which we
should be mindful is the difficulty to perceive it. For this reason we need to be tolerant of
others in their search for it.
