December 2, 2005
God’s word is often very challenging, especially in the Gospels. Jesus tells His apostles and those who follow Him that they will be persecuted, ridiculed, and that many people will reject them, even those in their own families. Also, Jesus speaks about carrying our crosses daily, forgiving and loving our enemies, and not judging others. A very difficult message indeed! In short, it seems that Jesus is not promising us a life of ease and pleasure, rather one that promises us many challenges and struggles as we attempt to live out and fulfill these teachings in our lives.
One is left then to ask, “Why would anybody follow Jesus?” On the surface, Christianity is not very appealing. One is not guaranteed money, success, fame, “security,” good health, or many of the other things modern advertising attempts to use as their foundation for selling us the latest gimmicks and accessories that they believe will “fulfill” the human person. In fact, Christianity seems to stand in direct contrast with modern advertising.
Ultimately there are many reasons for following Jesus. However, the one I would like to focus on today is truth. Jesus, Who is truth, says of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (Jn 14:6)
God has placed a desire in our hearts for truth. If we are honest and listen to His voice speaking in the depths of our hearts, we soon realize that there is nothing else that can liberate us and fulfill us like the truth. Also, we begin to realize that many of the things the world considers necessary for a “fulfilled” life, such as money, fame, power, and “good looks,” are merely passing clouds, here one day and gone the next. They cannot fulfill us.
Jesus is demanding, there is no question about it; yet, when we hear His words proclaimed in the Gospels and in the teachings of the Catholic Church, we can be assured we are hearing the truth. It was the promise Jesus left the early Church (Mt 16:18), not that all Popes and Bishops would be saints, but that Jesus would protect His Church from teaching error—and nothing, not even the gates of hell, would prevail against it.
The very first paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church boldly proclaims, “Only in God will man find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.” (CCC 27) That is why, despite how difficult the teachings of Christ and His Church may appear, people continue to follow Him and join His Church. We are restless, and when we encounter Jesus, our lives are forever changed. We begin to realize who we are—not who society, the media, or our friends say we are—but who God says we are, namely His children. We are known by Him and loved by Him. This is the truth about God and ourselves and what we all long for more than money, fame, or “worldly success.” It is the truth that Jesus reveals to us and enables our hearts to shout for joy in a way they never could about anything else.
The teachings of Christ and His Church often appear difficult. Yet they are the only things that will ultimately fulfill us and give true and everlasting meaning to our lives. We were created for truth, not watered down fabrications or relative conclusions about morality and God. These things degrade our human dignity, a dignity that was placed there by God, Who is the truth and Who enables us, with His grace, to know the truth—namely, Himself. As Saint Augustine wrote in his book “Confessions” after his long and strenuous search for truth, “Our hearts are restless O God, until they rest in You.”
Br. Jeremiah Myriam Shryock, CFR
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