What is Truth? Basically, for us the truth is formed by our private mind and its fabrications and collection of ideas. Thus we are taught to be self-sufficient. In the bible truth is not in the head, as concepts. It is more of an encounter with the other and allowing the other to influence me. At the end of the bible truth becomes a relationship. Jesus says, I am the truth. He is saying that truth has become a person.
Truth is presence. It’s allowing the presence of God himself bring you to the full truth. You do not come to the truth because you know all the dogmas of the Church. You come to the truth because you know God, you relate to God. You allow God to influence you. This truth will transform you. Philosophical truth gives you a false sense of knowing. Biblical truth gives you a sense of not knowing enough, of not being enough.
So truth does not remain an idea. It becomes a relationship that changes you. Thus there is room for growth, for conversation, for change. There is even room to make a mistake and to undo that mistake.
So if truth becomes a relationship, truth becomes a person. Truth becomes an invitation more than simply an ideology. That's so liberating.
I was hearing Richard Rohr the other day and he was saying something about the truth. It does not belong to smart people only. So he spoke more about "honesty" which may be a better translation when it comes to the passage: Honesty (or Truth) will set you free. It is not a list of objective ideas and information that will set you free, but to be objective about yourself, or to be honest about yourself, that will set you really free.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're honest about who you are, including your vulnerability and failures that will really set you so free that you will not allow this truth to destroy you but rather to free you. You do not have to be smart to be honest. I just love honest people. And, to be honest, younger people are better than us in this.