Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Spirituality does not make one correct in spiritual matters; any more than religiosity makes one correct in religious matters. Holy men, prophets, seers, diviners, zealots, and mystics have not garnered for themselves much of a reputation for reliability. On any honest reading of history, it becomes clear that these are exactly the kind of people who tend to get carried away by illusions, enthusiasms, and ecstasies.
That’s too bad, because many of these same types of people, under the true influence of divine inspiration, have in fact hit on profound truths. Take the prophet Nathan. The word of the Lord came to him at night, correctly revealing that King David would not be the one to build a temple for God, but one of his offspring would. History proved this prophecy correct. David’s son, Solomon, built the temple in partial fulfillment of the prophecy, and David’s more distant descendant, Jesus Christ, completely fulfilled the prophecy by building the Church, the mystical body of Christ, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Notice what David does when Nathan shares the prophecy with him. It is an instructive moment, especially for practitioners of Ignatian Spirituality. David goes to the ark of the covenant, which was then still being kept in a tent, and he sits down there and prays, thanking God for the blessings received and asking for confirmation. “And now, LORD God, confirm for all time the prophecy you have made concerning your servant and his house, and do as you have promised” (2 Samuel 7:25). He neither denies nor doubts the words of the prophet. He merely asks for confirmation.
To avoid spiritual deception, and to avoid all paths that are not of God, seek confirmation in prayer.