“We don’t need truths that serve us; rather, we need a truth that we can serve.” (A French philosopher)
This statement succinctly captures the essence of the matter in a very simple way. It also exposes the dangerous modern tendency to relativize absolute truths and subordinate them to our own ideas.
In more religious terms, we say: We are called to serve God our Lord and to submit to Him in love, He who is Truth Himself, rather than reaching out for teachings that conform to our own ideas and desires.
This is a fundamental decision that is surely self-evident to us believers, but unfortunately it is no longer advocated with the necessary clarity throughout our Church to prevent us from straying from the path laid out for us by the Lord and the Apostles.
Only the truth sets us free, as Jesus teaches. Any deviation from it brings confusion, dims the light, and wounds love. In other words, we fall into captivity. The loving dominance of the truth, which clarifies our thinking and provides sure guidance, begins to cloud over. If we do not correct our course, we become entangled in a web where we can no longer clearly hear the voice of our loving Father. Instead, we lend an ear to other voices and feelings. Instead of clear guidance, which is always oriented toward the truth in God’s heart as we journey through time, the radiance of truth fades.
God has given us a sure path: serve the truth and follow it sincerely in God’s grace!