All religions in the world have something to say about truth. The Hindu scriptures say: “Truth is elusive. It’s like a butterfly; you’ve got to search for it. Near the end of his life, the Buddha said: “I’m still searching for the truth.” Muhammad said, “I am a prophet of the truth.”
Jesus also had something to say about the truth. He didn’t say he was searching for it, or that it is elusive, or that he is truth’s prophet. He stated, quite simply, that he himself is the truth. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” he said in today’s gospel. And he is these things, Jesus explained, because he and the Father are one. Jesus, in other words, is God. And that forces us to make a decision. We either accept that Jesus is who he says he is, or we don’t.
You and I believe that Jesus is the truth; that’s why we’re here. But with this knowledge comes responsibility. Every person on earth seeks the truth, which means that everyone is ultimately searching for Jesus. We who know Jesus as the truth, therefore, must share that truth with others. To keep the truth to ourselves would be a crime; to share it with others is an act of love. The apostles we celebrate today, Saints Philip and James, shared the truth of Jesus, and so must we. What today’s psalm said of God’s creation should also be said of us: “Their message goes out through all the world.”
Readings for today’s Mass: http://www.usccb.org/nab/050311.shtml
Photo Credit: Santiago Apostol via Creative Commons