Lesson for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

The Truth of the Gospel

Today's readings remind us that the importance of the Gospel is that it is the truth. We need the truth to pursue what is truly good in life, not illusions.

In today's First Reading Moses, about to part ways with the Israelites, promises them a prophet will be sent to teach them after he is gone. A prophet speaks on behalf of God, which is why the Lord is harsh on those who say their teaching is from God, or from false gods. 

The people of Israel were so frightened by the Lord on Sinai that they wanted an intermediary, someone who would speak to the Lord on their behalf. The prophet promised by Moses is Our Lord. Sent by the Father, he teaches us the truth about God's will for our lives.

In today's Gospel, the crowds see something different in this young rabbi from Nazareth who is just starting his teaching. Why do his words have a weight to them that they didn't find in their scribes? They bear the weight of truth. Something resonates in us when we hear the truth, and for the crowds in today's Gospel they know Our Lord's teaching rings true: it speaks to something in their hearts, be it a call to conversion or a confirmation of the upright life they're trying to lead. We need the truth, and Our Lord is the truth in Person.

Society today focuses a lot on opinion, but often doesn't go very deep. Today many people don't want to speak out at all for fear of being labeled as judgmental, but also, at times, out of a mistaken idea that two apparently irreconcilable beliefs can be true: everyone's got their "truth," and nobody should question it.

This attitude loses sight of the fact that there is a truth to everything, and we're all seeking to understand it and embrace it in our lives. The Gospel brought to us by Our Lord brings that truth to us. It helps us cut through opinions that may veil untruths.

The Gospel today has been preached for millennia, but it's the truth that sets us free. Let's listen to Our Lord with renewed attention today through his Word, confident that it is the truth, and not be shy about helping others learn the truth as well.

"What is Truth?"

In John's Gospel, the Lord told Pontius Pilate that all who were on the side of truth would hear his voice (see John 18:37–38). Pilate responded, "what is truth?" His actions would later show he really had no idea what the truth was: he had an innocent man scourged and then crucified. Our Lord has come to bring us the truth, and, as he teaches us, the truth will make us free (see John 8:32).

No Little White Lies This Week

While everyone agrees that lying is wrong, not everyone holds little white lies up to the same standard. It seems the easy way out when we're faced with the possibility of hurting someone's feelings or getting in trouble.

If Our Lord had lied to the Sanhedrin, he would have saved himself a lot of suffering, but he also would have denied the truth. Don't leave yourself any wriggle room this week. Tell the truth.

Tell the truth mean say honest. Honesty implies a refusal to lie, steal, or deceive in any way. How often do you tell a lie, big or small? Have you ever taken something that does not belong to you? Have you ever deceived someone to their detriment or your benefit? We're not all pathological liars, bank robbers, or con men, but we have to make sure dishonesty has no hold in our life.