A Life of Truth

Have you ever been in a situation where you found it really hard to tell the truth or a situation where falsehood appeared to be more appealing than standing by the truth? The tendency not to tell the whole truth at all times will always arise in our lives but the grace of truth in our lives is even greater. No one, including someone who might enjoy the unruly act of falsifying information, likes to be lied to. So why would anyone tell lies? Or put in a different way, what makes us lie (sometimes)? There could be several reasons. Let us a take a look at a few reasons why people might decide to walk on (temporary) pathway of lies:

• They are afraid that revealing the truth will hurt them.
• They want to appear good/innocent.
• They believe the only way to get what they want at that point in time is to conceal the truth.
• They have sustained a habit of not telling the whole truth.
• They have no relationship with Jesus Christ, the truth.

A life of truth is a life of freedom and joy. The Lord Jesus describes Himself as The Truth (John 14:6). To live the truth is to live in Christ who saves us by the way of truth. “You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). The truth has a way of dismantling lies in due time. This is why the Scripture invites us today to submit totally to the life of truth, the life in Christ.

The first reading today opens with a crucial question: “Who is a liar”(1 John 2:22)? The verse goes on to give a clear answer: “The one who denies Jesus as the Christ. This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.” Denial of Christ happens in different ways. From the time Jesus was refused to be accepted by His brethren and townspeople (Cf.Matt. 13:55-58), until our day and age when the Christian faith is constantly being pushed to the fringes of the society, we have seen different facets of denial of Jesus Christ.

Saints Basil and Gregory were known for their successful fight against the Arian heresy that denied the divinity of Christ. The writings of Basil and Gregory helped shape the Nicene Creed as we have it today. Jesus Christ begotten by the Father existed before time began with the Father. Although we profess the faith in some ways on a daily basis, a subtle way we might succumb to the temptation of denying Jesus as the Christ is when we do not live the whole truth. Denying Jesus as the Christ entails:

• We are not certain if Jesus is really who He said He is.
• We are unsure if Jesus will save us from a particular crisis hence resort to lies.
• We elect a temporary gratification that gives us a good look in the eyes of men.
• Being so stuck in our wants that we seek to have it at our own whims.
• We have not actively sought out ways to break out from sinful habit of living a lie.
• We do not really care to pray—nurture our relationship with Christ.

In the long run, we can see that if we see our constant need for the savior, Jesus Christ; believe who He is and what He says (which are all true), we will not be denying Him but will always cry out to Him regularly.

Memorial of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzen (Readings: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Psalm verses: 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4; Jn 1:19-28)