Truth and Consequences

Pentecost (A):  I Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-13

 

Many years ago, there was a popular game show called Truth or Consequences.  A contestant in this show would be asked a difficult trivia question, which the contestant would usually get wrong.  Getting the question wrong had consequences! The contestant would then have to participate in a potentially embarrassing stunt.

One unintended effect of this show’s title was to affirm that truth has consequences.  If something is true, certain conclusions necessarily follow.  For example, if we claim that Jesus of Nazareth is true God as well as true man, and that His Passion, Death and Resurrection are, together, the defining moment of human history, that claim has consequences.  Our lives cannot be like the lives  of those who do not claim this.  Our perception of reality, our ways of thinking and acting, must be fundamentally transformed by this claim.  If not, then we do not really believe that our faith in Jesus Christ is true.  It may be only a slogan.  It may be only political spin.  But it is not truth unless it has real, visible, perceptible consequences for us. Continue reading “Truth and Consequences”

The Stone Rejected

Fifth Sunday of Easter (A)  John 14: 1-12

 

Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.”  – John 14:1

Our Gospel reading for this Sunday is also one of the options for a Funeral Mass.  One does not need to be a Biblical scholar to understand this.  The words of Jesus speak directly to the grief and loss of the mourners, offering consolation and a solid basis for hope.  As such, these words bear a fresh meaning for us as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Over a quarter of a million people have died around the world so far due to the effects of the coronavirus.  Many of then died without the presence of family or clergy.  For each one, there are relatives and friends who suffer grief at their death and who wonder what more they could have done to help.  There are many more who fear the coronavirus and lock themselves away. Continue reading “The Stone Rejected”