29 May 2011
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Readings for
Acts 8:5-8 Psalm 65 1 Peter 3:15-18 John 14: 15 – 21 |
Spirit of Truth…
“On a huge hill,
Cragged, and steep, Truth stands, and he that will
Reach her, about must, and about must go;
And what the hill’s suddenness resists, win so”
– John Donne
The desire for truth is a fundamental aspiration of the human spirit.
This desire includes the desire to know the truth about what is happening in the world around us, but it is much more than that.
It is a desire for truth with a capital T. It is a desire a truth that not only illuminates the mind but that also liberates the heart. It is a truth that cannot be defined by words, only by living. Truth with a capital T is always more than knowledge. Knowledge is about things observed, but truth transcends the purely material levels. It is linked to wisdom and embraces the mysteries of who we are, where we came from and where we are going.
Knowledge originates in science; wisdom in true philosophy; truth in the religious experience of spiritual living. Knowledge deals with facts; wisdom, with relationships; truth, with ultimate values.
This is the Truth the 16th century English poet John Donne is referring to in the lines quoted above, lines which present the quest for truth as an arduous uphill journey.
In the Gospel today Christ tells us, however, that we are not alone in this quest. He sends us a helper, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, to accompany us in the quest.
The Spirit of Truth not only teaches us a vision of life totally in harmony with the vision of God himself but guides us in all our decisions, actions and relationships, so that we may live by that vision.
– Fr Michael McCabe SMA, SMA House of Studies, Nairobi, Kenya