Entering the new year with eyes wide open

By SISTER ANNE MARIE WALSH, SOLT
Columnist
 
One of the dangers of living in a culture so tolerant of every kind of self-expression and behavior is that the moral dimension of our own thoughts and actions becomes bleached out. We can eventually stop considering things from the perspective of whether they are good or evil, right or wrong and instead consider whether we will offend another person if we say so.
 
This is not an age where we want to lose the edge in our discernment. If we do, we can easily end up in dangerous positions, dangerous especially to our souls. One of the things that is more and more prominent is the number of people who become entangled in occult activities (especially witchcraft and New Age) without even recognizing it at first. This is because doors in the spiritual realm get opened. Certain evil spirits read that as an invitation. They respond by quietly suggesting and encouraging directions that lead to even deeper involvement.  
 
Within the last 6 months, I’ve encountered at least four women who became involved online with New Age, witchcraft, and soft porn (by way of providing material for it on one of the popular websites). Each woman admitted some degree of shame for being involved in what they were doing. But each woman has also found it hard to quit because the money to be made from those activities is so “good.”
 
There are reasons why God forbids such things. This is critical to remember because the stakes are so high. We have to get this right if we don’t want to find ourselves fulfilling Jesus’s warning about gaining the whole world but losing our souls. Nothing in this world is worth that. And it would be good if we who are strong in our faith weren’t afraid to take definitive stands so that no doubt remains in the mind of another about the seriousness of our choices. 
 
I knew a very holy priest who occasionally had to tell people seeking his direction that if they proceeded forward on a certain path, he would stand against them at the judgment seat of God. Why? Because he wanted them to clearly understand when they were making a choice that was displeasing to God and against his commandments. This was often in the realm of sexual morality. But it also included things forbidden to us that we lightly dismiss, like seeing mediums, getting psychic readings, practicing certain “healing” techniques, taking certain tonics, wearing talismans, “praying” with spells, etc. These are all things directly and indirectly forbidden in Scripture. 
 
We are better served when we know something about how these different “practices” have permeated many of our mainstream activities, entertainment and even our preparations for death.  One of our sisters, while attending to a dying family member, encountered a hospice service that used Reiki to help the patient with pain and anxiety.  Reiki has its roots in Japanese Buddhism and is a modern revival of ancient practices.  
 
For those who might not know, Reiki is promoted as a Japanese healing technique that relies on channeling universal energy.  There is a practitioner involved who places hands gently near or above the body and purportedly manipulates or changes energy channels to promote healing, etc.  This is not compatible with Christian or Christ-centered beliefs that center healing in the Divine Physician and the power of Christ at work in our lives.  The problem with many of these types of practices is 
 
1.    They are not based in or backed by authentic science.
2.    Oftentimes, the “energy” which is referred to in these types of practices is deeply manipulated by spirits that are not benevolent spirits.
 
One of the best resources for finding out about the roots of things you may encounter and whether they are compatible with our faith is found at www.womenofgrace.com.   Look for the tab on the right side of the page with a heading of New Age, underneath which is an alphabetized blog index run by Sue Brinkman, a seasoned journalist who offers a definition and the church’s position on everything from hypnosis to the most obscure practices you might encounter today. There you can find anything you need to know about New Age, occult, or questionable practices in general.      
 
If the Scriptures remind us that it is possible to perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), then not knowing what you are dealing with can be extremely dangerous. Form and sharpen your powers of discernment.  They are needed today more than ever.
 
Finally, the simple solution to most of these questions is to keep Christ at the center of your life and refer everything to him and the teachings of your Catholic faith.                                                       
 
A dear friend shared that when her youngest was about 5 or 6 years old, her siblings were talking one day about the house they lived in and whether it was haunted. Her little one walked in, listened a bit, and then declared, “There are no ghosts in this house. Only the Holy Ghost!”   Make sure he’s the main resident in your “house” too! 

Cover photo: By Glyn Baker, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9272384

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