Guard against the false gospel of relativism

There are several places in the Gospels where our Lord tells people that their faith has healed them—or, more importantly, their faith has saved them. While Martin Luther’s idea that we are saved by faith alone is condemned, the truth remains that we cannot be saved without faith – even if not conscious of it, such as in those who have never heard the Gospel. Saint James is very clear that our faith is demonstrated through our works.

There is nothing new in what has just been said, but what we do need to ask about is the reality and the content of our faith. The first aspect, the reality of our faith, is critical. Jesus told us that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. We live in a world of relativism, which implies there is no objective truth. Rather, each of us can have his or her own truth. Since Jesus told us He is the Truth, if my truth is different from the Truth Who is God, then I do not have faith in the real Jesus.

If each person can entertain his or her own notion of truth, each person can have his or her own version of Jesus. Our society is filled with these false notions of our Lord. Some put the focus on health and wealth; some say Jesus does not want us to suffer and therefore, if we are suffering, we must have offended God gravely; some say just a generic belief in Jesus is all that is necessary to get to heaven. The list could go on, but this makes the point. It is possible to pick and choose what we want out of the Gospels. It is also easy to focus on one point our Lord made, or even take a point out of context, and make that the primary focus of one’s belief. Even worse, it is possible to ignore what Jesus said and claim just the opposite (this is the gospel of health and wealth).

There are many within the Catholic Church who profess their belief in Jesus, but it is little more than lip service. Money, materialism, power, position, prestige, or any number of other priorities may be placed higher than our Lord. If that is the case, what do we really believe about Jesus? If He is just a nice guy or a good man, then His teaching means little. If He is God, if He is the Savior and Redeemer not only of the whole world, but of my soul, then His teaching means everything. If no one can come to the Father except through Him, then it is necessary to know Him, love Him, and serve Him.

There are many who pick and choose which teachings of our Lord and of His Church they want to accept. There are two problems with this. First, it says Jesus is not God because He teaches things that are not correct. Second, it means we each become the arbiter of our own truth. This leads us right back to relativism.

Jesus asked if, when He returns, He would find any faith on earth. Our faith cannot be something we made up or faith in a false Jesus. Our faith must be in the real Person of Jesus Christ. Because of the society in which we live, it is necessary to guard ourselves against the perils of relativism and conform ourselves to the objective truth through a life of prayer which seeks true conformity to Jesus Christ. This is the faith our Lord will be seeking.

FATHER ROBERT J. ALTIER, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, was ordained in 1989. He is assigned to the Parishes of Holy Trinity and St. Augustine in South St. Paul, MN.