Lesson from Fr. Paulus | The Truth Will Set Us Free

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor (procurator) of Palestine, stands face-to-face with the Lord of the universe. Pilate is agitated by the circumstances, but thinking clearly because it's still early.

Jesus is exhausted from the first twelve hours of his passion, but his eyes glow with the love and determination that had led him to this hour. He came to earth in order to save Pilate's soul; Providence has finally brought them together.

Jesus is eager to draw this Roman patrician close to his heart. All the conditions are right for Pilate to detect in Jesus the God for whom his heart longs. Yet, he doesn't: he is in the same room with Jesus, speaking with him, but he remains unmoved.

Why? Jesus himself gives us the explanation when he tells Pilate, "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." With that sentence, Jesus teaches us all the secret to intimacy with God.

Whoever lets himself be led by what is true will be drawn into communion with Christ, will hear and heed God's ceaseless invitations to follow him more closely. But being led by truth requires humility.

It requires recognizing a higher authority than oneself: if I am obliged to discover, accept, and conform to what is objectively true (morally, physically, historically), then I am not autonomous, I am not the master of my universe, I am not God. Making that act of humility, which frees us from the enervating bonds of selfishness, is hard.

Our fallen human nature tends towards pride, towards self-sufficiency, control, and dominance. To resist that tendency, obey the truth, and expose oneself to the burning love of God takes courage.

Courageous, humble acceptance of God's truth, of the truth that God is love – that's the only way to follow our eternal King, and to experience the fulfillment that comes from being a faithful citizen of his everlasting Kingdom.

Three Steps to Accepting the Truth

The freedom of Christ's Kingdom is an interior freedom, a peace and strength of soul that only his grace can give us. If up to now we haven't experienced it as deeply as we would like, maybe that's because we haven't fully accepted this truth, that God is love.

Fully accepting that truth, which Pilate refused to do, involves at least three things.

First, it means accepting it freshly every single day. Each day we remain free to decide how we will live. And so, each day we have to reaffirm our citizenship in his Kingdom, or else we will slowly drift away from him.

Second, accepting the truth that God is love means admitting that we need God. If we try to achieve perfect happiness by our own efforts, we will shut ourselves off from God's love. The most direct way to admit that we need God, to allow his love to be a part of our lives, is to come regularly to the sacrament of reconciliation. There is simply no better way to acknowledge his Kingship over our lives, and to acknowledge that the law of his Kingdom is mercy.

Third, accepting the truth that God is love means striving in our daily lives to love as God loves. St Paul summarized all the laws of Christ's Kingdom in one: love your neighbor as yourself (Romans 13:9). When we refuse to forgive, to serve, to treat others as we would have them treat us, we distance ourselves from the God who is love, refusing to accept his friendship.

As we continue with today's solemn celebration of Christ's everlasting Kingship, let's thank him for bringing us the truth that will set us free, and let's ask humbly for the grace to accept that truth, that God is love, every single day of our lives.