Pointing to the Truth

The image of looking for truth in the journey of life is a theme in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. The “totem object” has represented the evil from which we are healed by God in Judeo Christian theology.

A 15-year-old boy firing an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle

The Book of Numbers describes the effect of the “totem object” on the Israelites as a means to focus on the loving care of God.

Jesus connects to the Father as the One who is lifted up to connect people to the Love that is freedom from sin in the Gospel of John.

* [8:24, 28] I AM: an expression that late Jewish tradition understood as Yahweh’s own self-designation (Is 43:10); see note on Jn 4:26. Jesus is here placed on a par with Yahweh.

Gladyce Janky was on a pilgrimage, following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius, and she contemplates the truth of her privilege compared to the suffering of others.

Don Schwager reminds us that to fail to recognize who Jesus is and where he came from is to remain in the darkness of sin, ignorance, and unbelief.

Jesus went on to explain to people that if they could not recognize his voice when they heard his word, they would have the opportunity to recognize him when he is "lifted up" on the cross. Jesus pointed to the atoning sacrifice of his life on the cross as the true source of healing and victory over sin and reconciliation with God. The sacrifice of Jesus' life on the cross is the ultimate proof of God's love for us.

Friar Jude Winkler connects the totem objects lifted up in Numbers to Jesus being lifted up on the cross as I AM. “Totem objects” have helped focus our connection to God from the time of the Hebrew testament to the healing of Lourdes and other holy sites.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on influences in his life journey as he comments that he was not so much taught theological conclusions as the process of getting there. He received a full history of the development of Christian ideas more than Catholic apologetics.

Little did I imagine how this would affect my entire life and my own approach to theology. The inspired documents of Vatican II put the Gospel back at the center of our lives, just as St. Francis tried to do. This made spirituality so much more alive and real than the narrow churchiness I grew up with—and that many are still taught to this day. After the fearful reaction to Vatican II in these past decades, I’m grateful to have lived to see Pope Francis, who convinces me of the wonderfully crooked lines of God. How did he ever get elected? Pope Francis is showing us all that God’s full life, just like nature, is never a straight line and never a dead end.

The “totem objects” in souvenirs, photos and other links to our spiritual growth provide viewpoints on the Love we have been graced to know that has been food for our journey.

References



(n.d.). Numbers, chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Numbers/21:4 

(n.d.). John, chapter 8 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/jn/8:12

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/

(2018, February 25). America Is the Gun - The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/25/opinion/america-is-the-gun.html

(2018, February 25). A 15-year-old boy firing an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle at a shooting range in Sunrise, Fla. Credit Ryan Stone for The New York Times. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/12/20/us/26blowWEB/20assaultweapons-02-master768.jpg