truth

"Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.'" John 6:68-69

What does it mean to pursue the truth? What does it take to pursue the truth? What will I give to achieve the truth? Who is the truth?

"'Truth?' said Pilate. 'What is that?'" [quid est veritas?]

Why do I subscribe to this faith? Why am I irrevocably Catholic? What makes me Catholic? Because I've been baptized into the faith? Because I go for Mass every Sunday? What makes me Christian? 

"I am the way, the truth and the light."

Do I believe in the truth? Who is this truth?

"'I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.'"

He must be crazy. What, he wants us to be cannibals and all that? Should we skewer him and roast him over a fire? Would it make a difference if he were honey glazed or smoked? And we would live forever should we eat this man's flesh?

Pilate's question of the truth, no doubt in jest, ought not be taken lightly. In the pursuit of truth, we cannot join the rest of the world. We cannot stand by and accept watered down versions of truth just so others would accept us. It takes a certain set-apart-ness to pursue the truth, a daring and courage to be different.

"I'm Christian! Oh but I'm not into the whole holy-moly prayer thing..."

"I'm a non-practicing Christian..."

What's a non-practicing Christian? A Christian that doesn't practice his faith? What's so Christian about that, then? It's about as Christian as a crocodile is vegan. If you don't live out the truth, it shows that you don't believe in it fully. Would you live out a lie?

"I'm Christian because I believe that Jesus Christ is the truth. And so I live in Christ and I live out Christ."

Living out the truth is never easy. All too often it means doing the things I don't like doing, doing the things that others don't like me to be doing, doing the things that nobody else wants to be doing... Because the truth is never pretty. Truth is brutal. Truth is harsh. Truth is insecurity. But only -- only to the eyes of the world.

When, at the end of everything and everyone else has deserted you, when everyone else has given up on finding a truth that is ugly, brutal, harsh, what will you do?

'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.'