No Denying It
Posted on: April 18, 2013
- In: Everyday Life | Faith
- 2 Comments
Even though my mind can barely grasp that I will soon be the mother of a teenager, my son will turn 13 in a matter of days. He’s almost as tall as I am, his voice is changing, and if that’s not enough evidence, he has a birth certificate to prove his age.
Even though I can hardly believe it, I will celebrate my 40th birthday this year. I can’t ignore the (not-so-few) white hairs I see in the mirror, my many memories of the 1980s, and the fact that the movies and songs being remade are from my teen years.
And even though it snowed in Ottawa last week, spring officially arrived almost a month ago. The chirping birds and blooming flowers know it, and the park near my house is alive with children once more.
Some truths can’t be denied. The Bible tells us so, as these examples show:
- When Jesus entered Jerusalem and all the people praised God, the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke them, but he answered that “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40*).
- When asked by the Council whether he was the Son of God, Jesus said, “You say that I am” (Luke 22:70), and they knew his answer meant “yes.”
- When the Council questioned Peter and John about their authority for healing a lame beggar, Peter replied that Jesus’ name had healed him, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The Catechism also has a lot to say about truth in s. 2464-2513.
Yet sometimes we live as though we doubt God’s truths.
We hold onto our sins, unable to forgive ourselves or believe that God could forgive us, even though priests have authority from Jesus to forgive sins (see John 20:23). We set all our hopes on our plans, even though God tells us he has his own plans for our lives (see Jeremiah 29:11). And we think we can “find our own spirituality,” even though Jesus told us, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
Yesterday I was reading an article about a pro-life event on LifeSiteNews.com. Mike Schouten, Campaign Director of weneedaLAW.ca, stated that “There’s going to be opposition, but we can’t just go home and say, ‘You don’t want to hear our message, so we’re not going to bring it here.’”
He was speaking about the pro-life message, but I think this holds true about our sharing of the good news. Jesus told the apostles to carry his message around the world (see Matthew 28:19-20), and we carry that torch in our time. We need to bring this truth to the world through the importance we place on our attendance at Mass, celebration of Christian holidays, business ethics, support of social causes, sharing of the faith through the arts, and so on.
As Jesus told his disciples, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32).
(*Quotes from the Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition.)
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2 Responses to "No Denying It"
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A Catholic Convert in Ottawa 
April 18, 2013 at 12:04 pm
Well stated! We must share the Good News because it is truth and you cannot deny that.
April 18, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Thanks for the encouragement!
It amazes me (and makes me sad) that so many people treat faith as though it’s just a crutch or as though it should crumble in the face of science.