Jesus, the Truth of the World

Pastor’s Column

Solemnity of Christ the King

November 21, 2021

“For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

from John 18:33-37

Jesus Christ is the Truth of the World. He is the One through whom everything was created, through whom everything is sustained. God alone has life within himself: everything else has life through him, borrowed from him. We are created beings. God knows each soul and has a plan for it. Yet this truth can be hard for people in the world to grasp. God has not made his truth too obvious (in this present world) so that we might be free to choose or reject him while we live on earth.

Where can objective “truth” be found in our world? Wherever the bible is read and understood; in every church where the Eucharist is reserved. But we must look for it; likewise, the truth comes as a gift, but we must be open to it and receive it.

In 1830 the Virgin Mary appeared to a humble nun in a small convent in Paris. Her name was Saint Catherine Laboure (her body is incorrupt). Mary came to tell the nun about the coming revolution and religious persecution that would take place in Paris later in that century (the French Revolution), but that Jesus had a plan. Mary called for prayer, conversion and faith.

She also later directed that a medal be struck, one that many Catholics still wear that is colloquially called the Miraculous Medal. Mary is standing on the earth with rays coming out of her hands, representing the many graces that are available to anyone who asks the Lord for them. On this medal are images of the truth: the intense love of God as represented by the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But do we really ask for what we need? And are we thankful for the answers we get?

I have been to the site of these apparitions in Paris. The convent is not easy to find without a guide. Jesus will one day reveal to everyone at death that he is the Truth of the World and how things really are. Paris is full of wonderful places to visit, to eat and to shop, but how many visit the churches there only as tourists? I can’t help but think of Jesus, still waiting in Paris and every other city on the side streets, waiting to be discovered by those who truly seek him out, still present among us, the Truth of the World to bring us real peace and truth in our very troubled times. Jesus still has a plan for each soul today. By truly seeking God and not just the ephemeral things of this passing world, we can rise above the confusion that seems to reign everywhere and live lives of purpose and meaning while awaiting the world that will never end.

Father Gary