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"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man” - Mt. 22:16
In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees use charm in their attempt to trick Jesus with their question about the payment of taxes, but they are unsuccessful. They have unknowingly spoken the truth about Him in saying He is a truthful man, yet they fail to see that He is even more. He is the Truth, and all who follow Him must abide in truth and love. But we all know how difficult that can be. Discerning the truth can be tricky, especially when confronted with complex moral questions.
A good place to begin the search for truth is in the Gospels, guided by Church teachings. This week, on Oct. 22nd, we celebrate the Feast Day of St. John Paul II. This holy man undertook an examination of moral truth in his encyclical letter The Splendor of Truth. In it, John Paul states, “The Church knows that the issue of morality is one which deeply touches every person; it involves all people, even those who do not know Christ and his Gospel or God himself. She knows that it is precisely on the path of the moral life that the way of salvation is open to all” (VS 3).
John Paul recognizes that in the human heart “there always remains a yearning for absolute truth and a thirst to attain full knowledge of it. This is eloquently proved by man's tireless search for knowledge… It is proved even more by his search for the meaning of life… it spurs us on to face the most painful and decisive of struggles, those of the heart and of the moral conscience” (VS 1).
Empowered by the great gifts of the grace and truth of the Holy Spirit, the guidance of the Church, and “the wisdom and power of Christ Crucified,” (VS 117) we are able to discern “the splendor of truth shining forth in all the works of the Creator and, in a special way, in man, created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:26). Truth enlightens man's intelligence and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord.”
This article originally appeared on this blog Oct. 21, 2017 as "The Splendor of Truth"
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