Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he has promised us, eternal life. I write these things to you concerning those who would deceive you. As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.
And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Today is the Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors of the Church. Both contended with heresy in their time (the mid-late 300s), working tirelessly to teach the faith and promote a deeper understanding of the Trinity.
How do we share our faith with others around us, particularly those with whom we do not agree? It’s helpful to turn to St. Ignatius’ Presupposition, his ground rule for the Spiritual Exercises.
Be “ready to put a good interpretation on another’s statement,” he writes. If someone is in error, “correct with all kindness.”
Our kneejerk reaction when we find ourselves disagreeing with someone is rarely to “put a good interpretation” on their intentions. “Kindness” is a rare breed in today’s divided culture.
As we contemplate the legacies of Saints Basil and Gregory, how might we endeavor to “correct with kindness” the wrongs in our world?
—Eric Clayton is a senior communications manager at the Jesuit Conference.
O God, who were pleased to give light to your Church by the example and teaching of the Bishops Saints Basil and Gregory, grant, we pray, that in humility we may learn your truth and practice it faithfully in charity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
—Collect Prayer from today’s Mass
Please share the Good Word with your friends!
