Today is April 9, Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent.
At today’s Mass, we read: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:31-32).
In a time when people are worried about fake news and knowing what is going on in the world, this passage from Jesus hits home with particular force. Not knowing the truth feels like being shackled to error. It keeps us from being able to act in a way that is good for our well-being and make decisions that are in accord with reality. When we do not know the truth, we do not know the right course of action to take.
Of course, Jesus is not talking about the truth, historical facts or what someone is doing in the government. He is speaking the truth about the purpose of reality and God’s intention in making it. The truth of Jesus has to do with understanding ourselves and the world around us.
‘Truth himself speaks truly’
How we understand ourselves and the world will determine how we act. Those who know that God exists live differently than those who do not. Those who know that God both exists and loves them exist differently than those who do not. We who believe that Jesus Christ is God and died for us experience life differently.
In the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, “Truth himself speaks truly, or there’s nothing true.” The Son became man to tell you who you are and the meaning of life. The one through whom all things were made tells you why everything was made and how you are going to flourish according to the Creator’s purpose.
The silence of Lent allows us to hear this voice of truth more readily and, hopefully, more clearly. Jesus speaks truth to us and, knowing the truth, we are set free.
Let us pray,
Enlighten, O God of compassion, the hearts of your children, sanctified by penance, and in your kindness grant those you stir to a sense of devotion a gracious hearing when they cry out to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
