The Spirit of Truth
Our first reading today from 1 Peter, offers us a great deal to ponder upon …..Psalm 66 instructs us to make a joyful noise , to praise God, our Gospel from John 14 brings us full circle and calls us to live into the pledge of our baptism…
the pledge of a clear conscience toward God…
A call to live in the Spirit of Truth…
This takes courage… this take determination…. This takes faith! We see and hear this in the teaching of Jesus and the disciples. Especially in the Gospel of John
I am the way, the truth and the light…
We do not connect to the divine by doing and saying whatever words are driven by the emotion of the day or a particular moment. Such words rarely serve us well, nor do they draw us to the path of Christ… The Jesus way.
This is not to say that those around Christ did not have doubts. Thomas has been labeled with his own saying…when someone acts in an unsure way, or whoever is not on board with whatever the plan is, they frequently receive the label of being “a doubting Thomas.”
Yet must our faith be blind? Uncensored by the ability to think and reason clearly…. uncensored by a discerning heart and soul?
Like the disciples, sometimes we do not see clearly; at times we do not hear with our heart. At times we do not speak in a manner that respects…
the pledge of a clear conscience toward God…The call to live in the Spirit of Truth
Not to dwell for an extended period of time on politics… however these are interesting and uncharted times. As the tragedy of COVID 19 continues to unfold here in Canada and around the world, we see leaders who move with care and compassion, doing their very best to live into the Spirit of Truth; that is before them. It is a pandemic of epic proportions that cuts across all social economic classes and kills without regard. Yet the vulnerable have paid a horrific price with their lives.
In some countries, the regard and sanctity of life and the role of science is pushed aside. The most prominent of these being Brazil and the United States. In Brazil, Nelson Teich, their health minister of a month, has resigned. He dared speak the truth about what it will take to keep people safe. In the Portuguese news, he used strong language; suggesting that president as lethal a virus as the COVID 19 virus.
South of our border we had unprecedented steps taken in the media yesterday. There is a long standing policy that former presidents do not comment on sitting presidents and their work. We saw President Obama brush this aside with graciousness and some humor, speaking into the truth of what is at play in his country. People are needlessly becoming ill and dying because of lack of leadership… and because of a lack of truth.
These are the words of someone who can rest no more…Obama is in a position to call to task those who are not speaking into the Spirit of Truth, and he has done so.
The question I pose to you is:
How hard should we push to honour the pledge of a clear conscience toward God?
Do we become the village tattle tale, naming every offence, positioning ourselves as the judge and corrector of all truths? Perhaps not, as that would become super annoying and by the end of the day or week, no one would talk to us or have us near. This is about setting the intention to move with a truthful heart, to move a sincere way of being in the world, for there walks Christ, and we with Him. Amen.