The Necessity for Truth 

Stephen Smith

Greek Philosopher, Aristotle states that we, as rational human beings, are oriented toward the truth. In our modern day and age, it can be difficult at times to discern what this truth is. Our senses are being pulled in various ways, causing us to second-guess what we already know, the truth.

I recall one particular time when I had the opportunity to visit New York City. I was baffled and amazed at the motion that never seemed to stop. In my three days there, I do not think there was a moment when I didn’t hear someone scream, talk loudly, hear the sound of sirens or car horns. Being from a small town, this was quite the noisy experience. I don’t think I slept at all. My distinct memory as we boarded the bus and drove out of this city was heavenly: silence. Not a word was spoken. The hum of the engine was soothing, and the snoring passengers played a melody. I sat there, eyes closed, and thought.

It is in these moments of silence God comes to us. Although God is with us at all times, it is difficult to hear his whisper over the sounds of society. This is not to mean that we must extract ourselves from society in order to hear God’s call, rather we must find a place within society that we can see and hear God. My place, at that time, was on that bus.

I remember sitting in quite prayer, spending time with Our Lord. As in nature, we grow in silence. The sound of the trees growing, or the flowers blooming is not heard. For it is in peaceful silence they grown into the fullness of life. So it is with us, in silence, we are able to connect with our Lord, hearing His voice. It is in this that we grow. As the philosopher Aristotle states, we are indeed oriented to the truth. It is in silence, our conversations with God, that we come to know this truth. For it is God who is Truth.

We as Catholics are called to grow in this Truth. How then do we do that? Saint Jerome gives us great advice when he says: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” It is in our knowledge of God, given through the Church, that we come to know and love God. It is Holy Mother Church that brings us from the darkness into the Light of Christ. The truths the Church teaches, and has always taught are what gives us the ammo which we are called to use against the works of the devil. Knowledge of sin should make us desire to be sinless. Knowledge of faith should make us desire to be faithful. Knowledge of truth should make us desire the Truth. It is for this reason that we as Catholics cannot stand by and refuse to know. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance can, and will lead us to the fires of Hell. Ignorance of God draws us away from God. Knowledge brings happiness, ignorance brings hurt.

So what then shall we do? The simple answer is to strive to learn the truth. The best and surest way to attain this truth is through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our relationship with God has its foundation in prayer. Why then would we avoid the greatest and surest prayer? The Mass is God’s sacrifice of Himself for us. It is He who has opened the gates of Heaven. It is He who teaches us the Truth.

God has ordained the Church to to be the gateway for truth. It is through the Church that we come to know God. It is through the Church that the perfect prayer is prayed. It is through the Church that we are given the truth, leading our souls to heaven. It is for this reason that we must adhere to the teachings of the Church, for it is through the Church, that we come to know the Truth. Overseen by the power of the Holy Spirit, founded by Christ himself, we on earth are given a great gift in the Church. We must take advantage of it! It is through our obedience to the Church that we are obedient to God. It is through our love of the Church, that we love God. It is through our defense of the Church, that we defend God. It is through our work in the Church, that we become soldiers for Christ. Such a wonderful gift!

It is easy to say this, but unfortunately, as we well know, it can be more difficult to live. As stated previously, our senses are pulled in every direction. Society tells us that our wills are what determine our happiness. Although we have the gift of freewill, it is a gift given, in order to chose the Truth. It is a freedom for Truth, not a freedom from Truth.

It is for this reason that the Church asks us to look into our conscience when we make decisions, or support those who make decisions for us. Supporting something or someone who is, or teaches something contrary to the truth, makes us just as culpable. When the Church asks us to look into our conscience, we are to look into our conscience, oriented toward the truth, our Catholic conscience, not the conscience we think we have, which is oriented by society.

We know that through the sins of Adam and Eve that we are a fallen society. We have created a chasm between God and ourselves. It was through our desire to be free from God, that this has been done. Christ builds the bridge over the chasm, allowing us to return to the Light of God, the Light of Truth. It is in this truth that we see clearly. False truth is what leads us away from God. As we walk across this bridge, we are held back by a rope, tied around our waist. The other end of this rope is being pulled by the Fires of Hell. It is our decision whether or not to use the scissors of truth to cut the rope, allowing us to fall into the arms of our loving Savior.

We are called to be soldiers of Christ, to fight for this truth. The mark we receive at our Confirmation gives us the graces, and the power of the Holy Spirit needed. Our decision, our love of the Truth, our obedience to God through the Church is what will determine the fate of our souls. We must, therefore, be diligent in our actions, be faithful in our thoughts, and be truthful in our works.