God's Truth is not our truth.
Our truths are tainted with good relationships and bad relationships. Vaniety, pride, lack of confidence and over-confidence bully their way into our truths. Our truths are objective to good experiences and bad experiences. They are wavered by kind words and unkind words. Gossip and silence mingle through our perception of the truth. Wealth and poverty dictate to us our truths.
Our truths are seldom truthful.
"One of the ways in which we carry out the age-old human temptation to "become like gods" is to appoint ourselves judges of the universe and all that are in it, including ourselves and others. Yet our judgments are inevitably flawed by selfishness. It is better to leave all judging in God's hands..." (Magnificat)
Our truths are seldom spiritual truths. They are too flawed by our emotions, our way of life, our hormones, our past experiences, our fallen nature, and what side of the bed we planted our feet.
That is why we must always place our truths on the Gospel and prayer. Spiritual directors are key in discerning truths and guiding us to discern them. Everyone believes they have and speak the Truth. Few actually do.
Prayer is the chain that links us from earth to heaven. There are kinks in that chain, flawed perfections, strong links, weak links, and broken links. The job of the Christian is to forever polish those links, check them, adjust them, fix them,, and, at times, replace them. Spiritual directors are the foremen who show us which and how.
"He is consumed by it (good zeal) who takes steps to correct any perversity he sees; and if he cannot, he tolerates it with sadness." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas
Everything done, said, or thought within the Church must be for God's greater glory, never ours. We must focus on God's Truth, gentle compassion, kind reasoning, charitable tolerance, and wise correction.
Otherwise we are like the moneychangers in the temple in today's Gospel reading. We are deceived and we choose to deceive our neighbors.
"Jesus 'did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.' Fallen human nature always attempts to define the meaning of life with something we can measure. That is what the presence of the moneychangers at the temple symbolizes. Their atrocious activity in this most sacred place betrays their bankrupt position toward the meaning of life. they prefer the riches of God over a relationship with God. But the commandments of the Lord 'are more precious than a heap of purest gold.' They save us from such foolishness and bless us with 'the foolishness of God.' " (Magnificat)
Our truths are tainted with good relationships and bad relationships. Vaniety, pride, lack of confidence and over-confidence bully their way into our truths. Our truths are objective to good experiences and bad experiences. They are wavered by kind words and unkind words. Gossip and silence mingle through our perception of the truth. Wealth and poverty dictate to us our truths.
Our truths are seldom truthful.
"One of the ways in which we carry out the age-old human temptation to "become like gods" is to appoint ourselves judges of the universe and all that are in it, including ourselves and others. Yet our judgments are inevitably flawed by selfishness. It is better to leave all judging in God's hands..." (Magnificat)
Our truths are seldom spiritual truths. They are too flawed by our emotions, our way of life, our hormones, our past experiences, our fallen nature, and what side of the bed we planted our feet.
That is why we must always place our truths on the Gospel and prayer. Spiritual directors are key in discerning truths and guiding us to discern them. Everyone believes they have and speak the Truth. Few actually do.
Prayer is the chain that links us from earth to heaven. There are kinks in that chain, flawed perfections, strong links, weak links, and broken links. The job of the Christian is to forever polish those links, check them, adjust them, fix them,, and, at times, replace them. Spiritual directors are the foremen who show us which and how.
"He is consumed by it (good zeal) who takes steps to correct any perversity he sees; and if he cannot, he tolerates it with sadness." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas
Everything done, said, or thought within the Church must be for God's greater glory, never ours. We must focus on God's Truth, gentle compassion, kind reasoning, charitable tolerance, and wise correction.
Otherwise we are like the moneychangers in the temple in today's Gospel reading. We are deceived and we choose to deceive our neighbors.
"Jesus 'did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.' Fallen human nature always attempts to define the meaning of life with something we can measure. That is what the presence of the moneychangers at the temple symbolizes. Their atrocious activity in this most sacred place betrays their bankrupt position toward the meaning of life. they prefer the riches of God over a relationship with God. But the commandments of the Lord 'are more precious than a heap of purest gold.' They save us from such foolishness and bless us with 'the foolishness of God.' " (Magnificat)
Comments
Post a Comment
Your Thoughtful Comments Matter