We live in a world filled with deception. We all know by now to be skeptical of much of what we read on the internet, and we know for sure that the email that says we just won a lot of money can't be trusted. We've all learned-- probably the hard way-- that things which are too good to be true are just that, not true. That the world is filled with deception is nothing new. Jesus says in today's Gospel (Lk 21: 5-11): "See that you not be deceived." He's talking specifically about the people who will say that they are Jesus who has come again, and He's talking as well about the events leading up to the time when He comes again. People will try to take advantage of us in such extraordinary times, so be careful, He is saying. But there is a broader application for Jesus' advice. We need to be careful not to be deceived not only when it comes to the Second Coming, but throughout our Christian journey. Therre's a reason Satan is often called "the Great Deceiver." Satan does some of his most successful work using deception as a tool. How to avoid being deceived? Trust your gut, your inner self, that voice inside you that whispers to us when we're about to do something we shouldn't do. Call it the Holy Spirit living in you, if you want to look at it that way. I think the worst deception is probably self-deception. We talk ourselves into doing things which our gut tells us we shouldn't do, and later pay the price. I have a somewhat-distant relative who is doing 10 years in prison for getting involved in a scheme which other folks told him just seemed wrong, even though no one could point to a law which was being broken. Their guts were right, but he got past that advice (and his own internal compass) because of the lure of easy money. None of us wants to be deceived, but all of us can be. One piece of advice to strengthen our "gut," the presence of the Holy Spirit within us-- the sacrament of reconciliation. There is a grace there that helps our moral compass, our inner sense of judgment. You might give it a try.