How ardent are you in searching for the truth?

It is difficult, isn’t it, to face truth in our lives. Especially the painful truths that are there. It is easier to duck away from them. Easier to pretend they are directed to anyone else but me. At Mass on Tuesday night, we were reflecting on the story of the beheading of John the Baptist – and the fact that Herod was always ‘troubled, yet attracted to John’s words’. So the sharing was around things that we have heard spoken to us that troubled us, yet we knew there was a truth there we needed to hear. One person said: “I was told that I didn’t need anyone in my life. I was too self sufficient. It hit me like a ton of bricks. And in that moment, as painful as it was, I knew I had to change how I did things.” This was one courageous person.

So when you heard that list of things that Jesus spoke that twist the heart and defile a person, how did that sit with you? Did you find yourself wincing at some of the words/phrases? Evil thoughts, un-chastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly? These are not things that we willingly see when we look in the mirror, are they. These are words that are more easily left for others to contemplate…

The words of Jesus are challenging today. “This people pays me lip-service but their heart is far from me." Zoom – right over my head. Of course that is not me! Of course not. Or is it? When I compare how much time I spent in prayer this week versus how much time I spent fighting the battle of the desk and the desk work wins – Hmm...

If there is a secret consolation about these words of Jesus it is this: if our hearts are stung by Jesus' challenge to the Pharisees, our hearts are almost healed. People who can hear the truth, even though there might be pain in the listening, and anger at the beginning – are half way home to being healed. What a grace filled revelation. If you think you are a Pharisee, you most surely are not. If you think you are not, watch out.