Wolves, Quantum Physics, and Prayer

There are a lot of things about this world that I don’t understand.

Countless things really. From basics on how gravity actually works to the complexities of quantum physics. Every so often, when I find myself subject to a conversation where the content goes over my head, I feel a sense of gratitude that I don’t have to understand everything.

Yet when it comes to religion, for some reason, many of us feel as though we have to know all the answers. We have a prideful sense of egotism that whispers to us that if we don’t understand or agree with a particular teaching, it must be that the Church is wrong.

On the one hand, we can accept that we don’t understand how the combustion engine actually works, but on the other, we can’t accept that we may not understand the complexities behind all the Church's teachings.

In today’s reading Saint Paul cautions the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus against the wolves in their midst—those who will pervert the truth and draw people away from the Church.

Perhaps the wolf in our midst is our pride. It is our pride that tells us we are right and 2000 years of Church history is wrong. We are more loving and tolerant than the Mother Church. We are smarter and holier than the Saints who have gone before us.

Pride can separate us from all that is good and all that is true. Is there a particular truth of the Church you find hard to accept? Don’t let your pride undermine your faith. Take it to prayer this week before the Blessed Sacrament and ask the Lord to increase your faith and understanding.

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Dr. MaryRuth Hackett is the host of the podcast Parenting Smarts. She loves historical fiction, dark chocolate, watching her children play soccer, a good cup of coffee (decaf please) and the quiet of the early morning. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and has a passion for helping parents understand the way their children grow and develop. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book, Rise Up and the author of our Blessed Conversations: Leader Guide found here. You can find out more about her here.