the truth...

Jesus Christ is the King and He explains His kingship in a very short statement in the Gospel of John 18:38 that says: “The reason I was born is to testify to the truth. Anyone committed to the truth hears my voice.”

Christ is King because Christ is the truth. Without truth, His kingship would be empty.

Our parents at home and our teachers in school taught us to value truth in our lives. I must admit that I have not been faithful to my parents upbringing. I guess everybody falls into the temptation of living in half-truths and surviving in white lies.

Just before I entered the monastery in year 2002, my mother told me, “Speak the truth, and live by the truth. And I have to remind you that if you live by the truth, you must be ready to stand alone.”

Proclaiming the truth can be a lonely task, as it was for Jesus. Jesus proclaims the truth before Pilate but He is alone. His disciples who know He is the truth, the way and the life, are all silent because they are afraid to be arrested with Jesus and given a death sentence along with Him. His family, relatives, and loved ones, are no longer there. Jesus stands alone.

Indeed, it is lonely to live for the truth and to proclaim the truth, because the truth can be challenging and not all people want to be challenged.

The truth can be difficult and not all people want to face difficult lives.

The naked truth can be embarrassing and not all people can endure embarrassment.

Piercing truths can sometimes hurt and not everybody is willing to endure that pain.

When was the last time you suffered for telling the truth? If you have not suffered recently for telling the truth, could it be because you have become so at home with lies?

Could it be because you have started to call lies half-truths? You must remember that even if they are one-fourth truths or one-eighth truths, they are still not truths. They are incomplete and still are mutilations of the whole truth.

Could it be because instead of calling them lies, we call them white lies? Even if they are red or violet lies, they are still lies and are displeasing to God.

When was the last time we stand alone to proclaim the truth?

When was the last time we were willing to die for the truth?

When was the last time we were willing to face shame because of the naked truth we needed to proclaim?

Unless we are willing to speak the truth, and come out with it, the truth is useless.

It is only by the truth that we can be set free.
If we are living in half-truths and white lies, the kingdom of Christ has not yet taken over us.

Be blessed by proclaiming the truth!