” Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
John 14:6-7
What we search for…
In this world, we strive so hard to find some semblance of the truth. We look under every rock, climb every mountain, and seek the truth through other people. Mahatma Gandhi says open your eyes and remove the cobwebs of ignorance. Indeed, in our world today our eyes are filled with ignorance and so the truth we seek eludes us. But what about heavenly truth? What about the truth of God, the truth of the Spirit? The truth of Jesus Christ? For in our savior’s words he is the truth we seek. Imagine how many cobwebs are in our eyes if we don’t see that to be self-evident and yet many fail to even see Jesus as the only way to God the Father. Perhaps we run this race of life looking for the truth that makes us feel better about ourselves, or perhaps we are trying desperately to find ourselves. Many will claim we could not hope to find ourselves without first coming to know God as the ultimate truth first. So, is it any wonder why the truth is so elusive?
What We See…
Brothers and sisters, I say to you, know that the real truth, the heart-stopping undeniable, and world shacking truth starts and ends within you. For what you see in others may not be the real truth, may not be who they say they are, and worse yet – maybe it’s just another illusion of Satan tempting your good nature in ways you could never imagine. What you see may not be what is real and so the cobwebs Gandhi speaks of becomes thicker and thicker making you more lost in your search for the truth. A really good example of this can be found in the daily news. People pretending to be someone they are not, living beyond their means numb to how they affect those around them. People like Jeffrey Epstein, Alex Acosta, Rudy Giuliani, Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Olin Graham, the entire Republican Party, and not to mention Donald J. Trump to name a few who all have presented themselves as truth-tellers but are nothing more than con-artists. These manipulators come in every size shape and form and who mostly never become famous. Do you know anyone like this? Sadly, we all do, shockers when the truth is shined, and the cobwebs are suddenly wiped away. What we see can be intimidating and scary especially when it’s your own reflection looking back at you in the mirror. Therefore, self-truth is where your journey should always begin. Build a health ability to reflect constantly upon who you are today, be honest, then focus on who you want to be tomorrow and hopefully the latter is better than the former.
Finding the Path to Truth…
I am going to make this short. What makes people like Gandhi and Jesus so appealing is that they can see through our bullshit! How can they see through the deep dark crap of life? Well, they know themselves and they loved the person they were in life. Jesus spoke about being the way, the truth, and the life because he knew who he was and most importantly understood his mission in life. They both welcomed with open arms the heartache of life, the chaos of the human race, and was ok with other people’s failures because they knew who they were as well as the people who surrounded them. The secret if you want to call it that is if I know myself and accept who I am and constantly subject myself to reflection and revision then eventually those cobwebs disappear. If you take time and understand what motivates you first, then the motivations of others become apparent. The watershed moment comes when you accept your sins, accept that you hurt others with your words and actions first and with God’s help you allow yourself to forgive what you did to others. Only then will you begin to understand the “Why” behind your actions. I tell you my brothers and sisters in that very moment you will be able to see through other people’s bullshit too! You will see as plain as day their motivations and will begin to understand why they did what they did. This watershed moment I speak of brings real lasting peace, enlightenment, and love for yourself and for others in your life. The path to truth can be summed up with, know yourself and you will know others and only then begin to forgive.
Let Us Pray…
Lord open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.
“All you servants of the Lord, sing praise to him” – Revelations 19:5
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. Praise and exalt him above all forever. Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord. You Heavens, bless the Lord. All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord. All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord. Sun and moon, bless the Lord. Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord. All you winds, bless the Lord. Fire and heat, bless the Lord. Cold and chill, bless the Lord. Dew and rain, bless the Lord. Frost and chill, bless the Lord. Ice and snow, bless the Lord. Nights and days, bless the Lord. Light and darkness, bless the Lord. Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
Let the earth bless the Lord. Praise and exalt him above all forever. Mountains and hills, bless the Lord. Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord. You springs, bless the Lord. Seas and rivers, bless the Lord. You dolphins and all the water creatures, bless the Lord. All you birds of the air, bless the Lord. All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord. You sons of men, bless the Lord.
O Isreal, bless the Lord. Praise and exalt him above all forever. Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord. Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord. Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord. Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord. Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord. Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let us praise and exalt him above all forever. Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven. Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.
Glory to the Father and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia.
Saint Joseph, Pray for us. ~ Sancte Ioseph – ‘ora pro nobis,’
NOW GO SPREAD THE WORD!
St. Louis de Montfort Council 11137 Inservice to one. In service to all.
Copyright ©2019 by Brian K. Stark. All rights reserved.
Permission to print for personal use only.
Wonderful web site. Lots of useful info here. I’m sending it to a few friends ans additionally sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks to your effort!