“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it
now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
To know the truth one
must love the truth. No amount of schooling or scholarship can replace love of
the truth. It begins with the realization that I cannot own or contain the
truth. Although I turn with my sincere curiosity to the world around me,
asking profound and beautiful questions, there is an impenetrable darkness
within me. So when I ask questions and seek knowledge, my motives are always
suspect.
The world may respond to
my questioning, “Who are you? What right do you have to ask? Why are you
asking? Why should we answer you?” It might even reply with Colonel Jessup’s
taunt, “You can’t handle the truth!” (from the movie, A Few Good Men)
Jesus has warned us
about the truth, “You cannot bear it now.” It will expose more than you want to
know about your prejudices and privileges.
It might also reveal God’s
love as more brilliant and beautiful than you can bear. You might flee from him
with the same impulse that forced Peter to his knees when he said, “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful
man.”
The Holy Spirit “will
guide you to all truth.” Jesus assures us. Very likely, as we take those steps,
we will have to ask, “Precious Lord, take my hand.”
We live in a dazzling
age of data explosion and information technology. We have scanners of every
sort amassing data from the sea bed to outer space. Remote sensors measure snow
pack and wind velocity on mountain tops and the temperature of mud in river bottoms. We
are collecting medical information about millions – soon to be billions – of human
beings. With powerful computers and sophisticated algorithms we can predict systemic
reactions with astonishing accuracy. What’s the weather next Tuesday? How will
this medicine perform in this patient? When will Flight #123 arrive? We might
not know the future but we can predict with great confidence. And if they ever
figure out how to quantum compute today’s advances will look like Stone Age!
But -- will all this knowledge
drive us to reconcile with climate change? Will it persuade us to share the earth and
it resources with billions of persons just as worthy as ourselves?
All that amassing of facts knows little of Truth; it only leaves us more vulnerable
to catastrophe. It is no more reassuring than the Tower of Babel. We are still clueless in the face of mysteries like Justice, Mercy
and Communion. The heart of darkness still hides its deceptions in plain sight
where we cannot see them. I might ask, “How can we use all these algorithms for
the promotion of peace?” but my real agenda is, “How can I guarantee my present
and future security?”
From the secure “chair” of his
agony, Jesus teaches us the value of human knowledge. Because he is nailed securely
to a cross he cannot ascend to the heavens or rest on the earth, and yet he
governs both. His wisdom, as Saint Paul said, is foolishness to the wise; his holiness
is scandalous to the pious.
If we can "handle the
truth" of our utter helplessness under mountains of data, we might hope to bring justice to earth.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.