I am reading this six weeks after the posting. At this time the truth is that a beloved cousin of my husband in NJ lost her husband today, Jan. 14, 2025 to alcoholism. I have lost several blood relatives to this disease and am no stranger to its hard truths. A well known local Little Rock AA member wrote a book about the 12 Steps in which he said, "The truth will set you free, but at first it's likely to make you miserable." Certainly not all truth will do that. I do know that to face certain things I must get beyond my own defensive mechanism of denial or making a molehill out of a mountain.
Tina I am so sorry for your loss and saddened that the disease took another blessed soul. I have learned much in AA rooms. Nothing more important than facing the truth will set you free. And sting before it does.
I don't know whether you have heard or seen this in written form but it seems to be very popular today for people to reply to comments with the word "Truth". I've also heard this question: "What is your truth? or "This is my truth". I've always wondered if we truly understand the depth of the word "Truth" or those questions. My optometrist told me to never ever clean my lenses with a dry cloth, but to always spray them first with a specific type of cleaner. A cleaner that wouldn't cloud or distort the lenses in any way but would act to safely remove the smudges and clean the lenses properly without damaging my ability to see clearly through them. Your reflection today was the "cleaner" that I needed to help me clean the smudges and examine truth more clearly during a time that has not been, and continues to be uneasy to see the Truth. Thank you.
i have seen it. My sense is that it's used to mean: I agree with that. I'm not fond of saying "My Truth" or "Your Truth." That usage suggests an extreme relativism. However, I do think that there are truths that we can only genuinely know, genuinely incorporate into our lives, once we we've seen them for ourselves. Glad to be your cleaner today, Diane.
Not that you asked me, Chris, but for me (who donned these glasses later in life than many) Christianity has been *the* lens that allowed me see my connection to everyone, everything that is. And that is what I would call the one truth.
Well, that would take a while, Chris! But first, I should correct a tense I got wrong. I should have said "allows me," not "allowed me." Because I haven't mastered this yet. In a nutshell, when I do follow Jesus in acting in love, even when I'm not feeling it, I can see it's true that we are all made in the same image. Had I been born in the same situation as that other person or that other creature, and had the same experiences, I'd likely be in the same boat... whatever that boat is. Love seems to be the way for us to recognize that, and the way for all of us to help right each other's boats. I'm certainly grateful to all those who've helped me ride out the waves!
My usual pastoral approach to questions is to ask myself this question: Why is this person asking me this now? Each part of the question is important to help me know what you're actually asking. Do you have a spiritual background of some kind? Is this questions relevant to your place in life at the moment? That sort of thing. Don't mean to be intrusive. In the meantime, here's a nice C. S. Lewis quote: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
I am reading this six weeks after the posting. At this time the truth is that a beloved cousin of my husband in NJ lost her husband today, Jan. 14, 2025 to alcoholism. I have lost several blood relatives to this disease and am no stranger to its hard truths. A well known local Little Rock AA member wrote a book about the 12 Steps in which he said, "The truth will set you free, but at first it's likely to make you miserable." Certainly not all truth will do that. I do know that to face certain things I must get beyond my own defensive mechanism of denial or making a molehill out of a mountain.
Tina I am so sorry for your loss and saddened that the disease took another blessed soul. I have learned much in AA rooms. Nothing more important than facing the truth will set you free. And sting before it does.
Thank you, Bishop. It is a plague in my family and in my in-laws.
I don't know whether you have heard or seen this in written form but it seems to be very popular today for people to reply to comments with the word "Truth". I've also heard this question: "What is your truth? or "This is my truth". I've always wondered if we truly understand the depth of the word "Truth" or those questions. My optometrist told me to never ever clean my lenses with a dry cloth, but to always spray them first with a specific type of cleaner. A cleaner that wouldn't cloud or distort the lenses in any way but would act to safely remove the smudges and clean the lenses properly without damaging my ability to see clearly through them. Your reflection today was the "cleaner" that I needed to help me clean the smudges and examine truth more clearly during a time that has not been, and continues to be uneasy to see the Truth. Thank you.
i have seen it. My sense is that it's used to mean: I agree with that. I'm not fond of saying "My Truth" or "Your Truth." That usage suggests an extreme relativism. However, I do think that there are truths that we can only genuinely know, genuinely incorporate into our lives, once we we've seen them for ourselves. Glad to be your cleaner today, Diane.
Thank you for this, the truth is seen differently by different people
I like something that Richard Rohr once said. No one can do our spiritual homework for us.
Thank you Jake. God's peace.
Is Christianity one lens or the one truth?
Thank you Fr Jake, for resetting my perspective, reminding me who to follow & how to attempt that! Now cleaning my glasses for another go!!
Thanks, Carolyn! My own glasses need cleaning from time to time.
Not that you asked me, Chris, but for me (who donned these glasses later in life than many) Christianity has been *the* lens that allowed me see my connection to everyone, everything that is. And that is what I would call the one truth.
I like that, Susan. How did it do that for you, if you don’t mind my asking?
Well, that would take a while, Chris! But first, I should correct a tense I got wrong. I should have said "allows me," not "allowed me." Because I haven't mastered this yet. In a nutshell, when I do follow Jesus in acting in love, even when I'm not feeling it, I can see it's true that we are all made in the same image. Had I been born in the same situation as that other person or that other creature, and had the same experiences, I'd likely be in the same boat... whatever that boat is. Love seems to be the way for us to recognize that, and the way for all of us to help right each other's boats. I'm certainly grateful to all those who've helped me ride out the waves!
Tell me more about you so that I can understand your question better.
It seems like you post naturally raises the question. What do you need to know about me to understand the question?
My usual pastoral approach to questions is to ask myself this question: Why is this person asking me this now? Each part of the question is important to help me know what you're actually asking. Do you have a spiritual background of some kind? Is this questions relevant to your place in life at the moment? That sort of thing. Don't mean to be intrusive. In the meantime, here's a nice C. S. Lewis quote: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
Thanks lina