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1 Timothy 4:7 "Have nothing to do with godless and silly myths. Train yourself in godliness".

 

There are plenty of godless and silly myths circulating these days. I am often shocked when I find people I've known for a long time have come to believe some of them. It is so disquieting, but it goes to show the power of persuasion and repetition. And I should know that the devil is always out to pull us away from the truth by any means he can. If the culture becomes particularly susceptible to a certain godless myth, he will seize on that, and the myth will spread far and wide, despite how silly it sounds (and is!).

 

So how do we resist these godless myths, especially the culturally fostered ones? It can be very difficult, and I have sometimes found myself questioning my own grounding in reality when it seemed like everyone I knew was repeating as truth something I saw as a clear falsehood.

 

Paul tells us the way to resist these myths effectively is to train ourselves in godliness. Although God's law is written in our hearts, and we are created with a yearning for Him, unless we train ourselves in godliness, that law and those yearnings can be easily corrupted. These godless myths worm their way in, supplanting God's order with a false human, or even diabolic, order that seems right, but quickly devolves into chaos because it is not grounded in truth and love.

 

When we consistently read or hear God's Word, participate in Mass, examine our conscience, receive the sacraments, and avail ourselves of the many other treasures of our faith, we nurture and strengthen godliness in ourselves. Then those godless myths really do sound silly to our ears, and are easy to resist.