EDITH STEIN, A Carmelite nun who was killed at Auschwitz used to say that “if we seek truth, then we seek God, whether we realize this or not.”
Truth, and its cousin “trust,” can be major or minor parts of our lives.
We freely choose.
God as our creator allows us by his goodness to choose the path or the road, though he gives us signs and guides to help us navigate, until hopefully, in the end we encounter that “narrow gate” that leads us to the source of all truth, and that is God.
We are all on the road now and it is a good thing to ask yourself if it is the right road.
This is what St. Edith Stein meant when she put God and truth in the same thought and sentence, that God is truth.
Do we need to know anything more in this life and I don’t mean this in an offhanded way, but in a way that will bring an element of peace to every day, the peace that knowing that with God it will all be OK, and isn’t that a great thing?
A saying that I’ve heard recently is “Your truth is not my truth.”
We have certainly regressed as a society and people if truth has various shades.
Someone once said that the further we move away from God then the less common sense we have, which begs the question: Would you rather be brilliant in a certain field, or have common sense?
We’ll let that float out there, but once again think about the quotation above.
Perhaps it should read: Your opinion is not my opinion.
Truth is truth, folks, and at times during our day it can be very difficult to discern, which is where God, in our common sense, is the ultimate arbiter.
Look around you and see God everywhere.
How many random people will you see today, speak to or make eye contact with and how much do each of these encounters impact our daily lives?
Much more than we think, I am sure.
Remember that God is with you always and is constantly giving us the ability to grow in civility and that there is an ultimate truth, and that is God, not the verbal meanderings of someone overcome with their own importance.
God is truth, not our ever-changing culture.
Don’t forget that.
We all know, or should, that Jesus performed his first public miracle at a wedding in Cana and this gives us something to think about during the wedding season that is upon us.
I went through marriage preparation at the First Baptist church in Tacoma a long time ago, but I remember it well.
I didn’t want to go through with this, but my fiancee at the time — now wife — sort of insisted.
Husband and wife are designed to help each other on the road to holiness.
We can’t bring God in and invoke him for a moment and then skip away without consequence, though many newlyweds see marriage as a contract that can be renegotiated or torn up, rather than a covenant with God as the head of the house.
Our culture thrives on throw-away marriages and study upon study have shown it is the children that suffer.
Marriage prep is not such a bad thing.
Do not take anything for granted.
Jesus told us that a prophet is not without honor except in his native place or among his own kin.
That means — what?
His neighbors, perhaps friends and certainly the townspeople of Nazareth didn’t take him seriously and even looked down upon him because they’d known him as a little boy and couldn’t see past that.
He remarked on their lack of faith and could perform few miracles there.
The things we take for granted eventually go away.
Again, take nothing for granted, because soon you won’t see it.
To a joyful, family-rich summer, and to the wisdom of the saints who walked among us and by their witness lead us to deep encounter with God, and with this — blessings and prayers for our community and nation and in the name of God, peace, truth and love.
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Issues of Faith is a rotating column by five religious leaders on the North Olympic Peninsula. Mike Acheson is director of religious education at Queen of Angels Roman Catholic Church in Port Angeles and St. Joseph Parish in Sequim. His email is mikea@olypen.com.
