WE MUST LOVE THE TRUTH IN ORDER TO BE SAVED Taken from the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (1:14) And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (1:16-17) And this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light for their works were evil. For everyone that doth evil hateth the light, that his works may not be reproved. But he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, because they are done in God. (3:19-21) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore Him. God is a spirit; and they that adore Him, must adore Him in spirit and in truth. (4:23-24) If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (8:32) If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. (8:39) You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. But if I say the truth, you believe me not. (8:44-45) He that is of God, hereath the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God. (8:47) I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. (14:6) If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth Him: but you shall know Him; because He shall abide with you, and shall be in you. (14:15-17) Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in Truth. (17:17-19) Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice. Pilate saith to him: What is truth? (18:37-38) 1
Quid est Veritas? St. Augustine defines truth as That is true which is. Phrased in other way, we can say truth is the correspondence between thought and reality. It cannot be what certain pagan philosophers asserted: (1) That is true which is seen Nor can it be (2) That is true which is as it appears to the knower, who is willing and able to know. We can also make distinctions in truth, according to kind: Ontological Truth Correspondence between the thing itself, as it exists, and the idea of how it is conceived by God. Moral Truth Correspondence between the knower and the outward expression which he gives to his knowledge. Logical Truth Correspondence between the knower and the known. Three basic laws of logical truth: (1) The Law of Identity says that A is A; if something exists, it has a nature: a single nature. It is what it is. (2) The Law of Non-Contradiction says that A cannot be both A and not A at the same time and in the same sense. Truth is not self-contradictory. (3) The Law of Excluded Middle says that a statement is either true or false. This helps us deal in absolutes. A More Theological Understanding of Truth Ultimately, God is Truth Himself and He is the source of all truths (I AM WHO AM). God is all perfect, omnipotent, omniscience and all good; He is immutable and eternal. Thus, when God reveals a truth (Divinely Revealed Truth), this truth can never change. Any attempt to change, dilute, mitigate, ignore, add to, or silence a truth revealed by God is a direct attack upon Him. (Of all His creation, only persons can make such an attack.) The Son became incarnate to bring Truth to man - and man to Truth. He has entrusted the Truth to His Church, His perfect and immaculate Bride, His Mystical Body. We call these truths the Deposit of Faith. The Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, guarantees the preservation of Truth in the Church. The Church is infallible, impeccable, and indefectible. Christ entrusts the hierarchy of His Church with the authority (responsibility and power) of preserving wholly intact and propagating the Truth to all the ends of the world until the end of time, when He comes again. In order to be saved, men must accept (love) the Truth. Outside the Truth, there is no salvation. Extra verum nulla salus. Therefore the question posed by Pilate should be of utmost concern for each of us. Just as He asked His disciples, Christ asks each one of us, And who do you say that I am? (Mt 16:15) In the context of this class, we may consider answering Thou art Christ the King, Thou only art Truth. Looking at Truth in light of Theological Anthropology Man is a Human Person: He is a soul united with a body. (primacy of soul!) His soul consists of a mind and a will. (Some Christian writers also speak of the spirit.) His body consists of (1) all that can be perceived by the exterior senses, (2) his interior senses, (3) and his passions. 2
The intellect can see (light) but the blind will controls (reins) the passions which pull the person in this or that direction. Note how the soul is driving the body, most men have it completely backward! Man s Final End is to know, love and serve God in this life and be happy with Him forever in the next. Man in his totality has this Final End Body and Soul. The Final End of his will is to choose the Good. (We could also say to love.) Love is to choose and do the good for the other, no matter the cost to oneself. The Final End of his mind is to know the Truth. Even if he has a good will (intent), he can t truly love if he does not know the truth. The will is meant to act in accordance with what the mind knows, i.e. the truth. Original Sin destroyed this harmony in man; every sin further damages this harmony. Man s will under original sin has become weak and malevolent (thinks of itself). Man s mind has become darkened and ignorant (often can t know or see the truth). Man s body has become rebellious and his passions disordered, tending towards excess. Recall that for something to be a sin it requires the knowledge and consent of the person. As our Savior, Christ brings grace to strengthen (heal) our will and truth to enlighten (heal) our mind. Only through prayer, penance, and mortification working with grace shall we merit salvation. The intellect is how the soul sees and is filled with truth, just as the eye is how the body sees in order to be filled with light. The light of thy body is the eye. If thy eye be single, they whole body shall be lightsome. But if thy eye be evil thy whole body shall be darksome. If then the light that is in thee, be darkness: the darkness itself how great shall it be! (Mt 6:22-23) All this should help us realize some very important points regarding Truth. There can be no real love without adherence to the Truth. (faith, hope, devotion, virtue ) There can no real unity without adherence to the Truth. There can be no real obedience without adherence to the Truth. Without truth, we can only have the appearance (illusion / deceit) of these things. 3
Important Points Raised in Chapter 1 of Crucial Truths to Save Your Soul Love of the Truth is absolutely foundational it is a necessary condition to save your soul and to advance in the spiritual life. [1] See 2 Thes 2:9-12: To them that perish because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. God hath chosen you firstfruits unto salvation, in sanctification of the spirit, and faith of the truth. We must have the attitude Truth first as opposed to basing ourselves upon emotions, what others do, human respect, bias, rash judgment, personal experience, feelings, my ideas, worldly values, etc. [1] Failing to put a love of the Truth first, and above all other considerations, is the essence of many of the problems of our day. This is the fundamental disorder that has been at the root of the disobedience within the Church to the commands of the Queen of Heaven for more than 80 years (i.e. since 1929 when Heaven asked the Pope to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary ) [4] The devil always works with lies (and half-truths or truths twisted to his end). He is the father of lies. Lies are the very foundation of his kingdom on this earth (which is built upon sand). He wishes to enslave men and does so with his lies, even if it means appearing as an angel of light. [6-7] When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. (Jn 8:44) And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell and great was the fall thereof. (Mt 7:26-27) Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate: and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. (Mt 12:26) The god of this world hath blinded the minds of unbelievers, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine unto them. (2 Cor 4:4) And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:14) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. (Gal 1:8) Knowledge and Truth must come before Love, even though Love is greater. [8] Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth; (1 Cor 13:6) The Truth is of God; it does not allow itself to be motivated by human respect. Master, we know that Thou art a true speaker, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest Thou for any man: for Thou dost not regard the person of men. (Mt 22:16; see also Mk 12:14 and Lk 20:21) It is because there is little love of Truth in the world - and in the Church today - that the Message of Fatima is being rejected [9], that the Mother of God is being rejected, that Christ is being rejected, even (especially) by many members of the Church, and in the highest levels of the Church! Yet, there is no more important Message for our time, than the one given to us by Our Lady of the Rosary, through Sister Lucia: The Fatima Message [10]. When this most perfect Mother saw her children in grave danger, she could not remain silent. [11] (And yet, despite this great love, she has been largely ignored.) 4
The Truth must be defended and propagated, in charity AT ALL COSTS! [13] We must have the right attitude about our loyalty and devotion to the office and person of Church officials. [13] Let us never adopt a revolutionary attitude. There is no authority in the world even the Pope who may disobey God or may command another to disobey God or may legitimately deceive the faithful in any way, and most especially in a matter that can jeopardize their eternal salvation. [13] Today the Faith is not only under attack from outside the Church, but also from within. [13] We have an obligation to inform ourselves of the Truth and to defend the Truth. [13] We have to seek the Truth and think with the perennial mind of the Church. [14] Our first obligation, our first loyalty (hierarchy, primacy) is with Christ (Truth) and His Mystical Body. Holy obedience can never demand of us that we tell a lie (or violate any of God s commandments). [16] At times we are called to defend the truth (duty / obligation) and even to resist authority. If we have the ability to defend the truth, then we are obligated to do so. This duty only extends to those spheres in which we have competence or authority. To resist Church authority is a grave matter. Therefore we may only do it if we are certain. And this certitude must be based on Church approved teachings [tradition!]. It must also always be carried out with great respect, humility, and charity. The Church has nothing to fear from the Truth! [19] We have no hope except in the Truth. Let us not deceive ourselves. [20] APPENDIX: HERESY OF MODERNISM 1. Denial of the supernatural. (materialism, empiricism, rationalism) 2. Everything is always changing. (evolutionism) 3. The experience of man (subjectivism, relativism, existentialism, phenomenology) replaces the Divine Revelation of God (Truth, reality) as the foundation of religion. APPENDIX: BASIC SYLLOGISM Major Premise: All M are P. Minor Premise: S is M. Conclusion: Therefore, S is P. (All ravens are black birds.) (Jack is a raven.) (Therefore, Jack is a black bird.) M = Middle Term, P = Predicate; S Subject; All = a universal syllogism 5
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ATTACK ON TRUTH A DIABOLICAL REVOLUTION Nominalism Denies the existence of universals; opposed to realism. William Ockham*, OFM (+1347): Only faith gives us access to theological truths. God s ways are not open to man s reason. Schism In 1439 the Great Schism is healed at the Council of Florence. Yet Prince Basil II of Russia rejected the reunification. In 1448, the Patriarchate of Moscow definitively breaks from Rome and Constantinople. Renaissance An emphasis on classical (pagan) sources and an exaltation of the glory of man (humanism). (14 th 17 th centuries: Da Vinci*, +1519; Machiavelli*, +1527; Copernicus*, +1543, Galileo*, + 1642) Revolution against the Church (mistakenly called Reformation ) Protestantism Denies the authority of the Church; exalts the individual. (Martin Luther*, +1546) Calvinism Denies the reality of free-will and the true efficacy of grace. (John Calvin*, +1564) Anglicanism Places the authority of the State over the Church. (Henry VIII*, +1547; Thomas Cranmer*, +1556) The Darkening (mistakenly called Enlightenment ) Rationalism Only believe as true what my human reason can understand. Reason governs human behavior. Rene Descartes*, +1650: I think therefore I am. Doubt, not reality, becomes the foundation for truth. Monism God and nature are one and the same; it is abstract and impersonal (Deism). The mind (soul) and body are not two distinct realities but one thing. (Benedict Spinoza, + 1677) Empiricism Knowledge comes (only or primarily) via sensory perception, evidence, and experience. Desire governs human behavior. (David Hume, +1776) Idealism Reality as can we know it is fundamentally a construct of the mind. Skepticism regarding knowing anything as it really is. All that truly exists is spirit (mind). (Immanuel Kant, +1804) Georg Hegel (+1831): Dialectic is the source of all reality and progress. A thesis and antithesis conflict and a new elevated reality emerges, the synthesis (a compromise of the two). Arthur Schopenhauer (+1860): Mind over matter. Reality is misery and strife driven by a continued dissatisfied will. (Pessimism) Existentialism Moral and scientific thinking is insufficient; all thinking must begin in the individuals experience. Søren Kierkegaard (+1855): Faith is a passion (emotion / feeling). Jean-Paul Sartre* (+1980): There is no Creator, thus existence precedes essence. Man is condemned to be free (Nihilism). Phenomenology Reality as such is unknowable. Man lives in accordance with his consciousness of how things appear to be (phenomena). (Edmund Husserl, +1938; Martin Heidegger*, +1976) Pragmatism Reality is best viewed in terms of practical use and success rather than truth (+ John Dewey, 1952). Some very influential Atheists Charles Darwin (+1882): Advanced the theory of evolution as the source of all life and reality (Evolutionism). God s action is really just adaptation through the laws of nature. Karl Marx (+1883): Religion is the opium of the masses. Reality is driven by economics and class warfare. Friedrich Nietzsche (+1900): God is dead. Reality is driven by man s (übermensch) Will to Power. Sigmund Freud (+1939): Faith is a primitive neurotic obsession and religion was necessary to restrain man s violent nature. Now science, reason, and psychotherapy (and drugs) suffice. Reality is driven by man s life drive (libido) and death drive (thanatos). Man s subconscious is infantile and constantly seeking pleasure. Msgr. Georges Lemaitre* (+1966): In 1927, this Belgian priest proposes the Big Bang Theory [not an avowed atheist]. Carl Jung (+1961): Spearheaded the psychologization of religion. He was immersed in the occult and eastern mysticism. He has had a profound impact on the New Age movement. I only fear bad Catholics. St. Bernadette Soubirous 6