We all want to know the truth. This is an innate aspect of our human nature. We seek it in a wide variety of ways. We even intentionally ignore the truth when it is posed to us in a way that makes us uncomfortable or that challenges the manner in which we are living our lives.
As Catholics, we have found the ultimate Truth in Jesus Christ and His Church. Even though we have come to accept the tenets of the Catholic Faith, the truth is something we must seek constantly. It is a daily task as we learn to live and discover truth in our daily lives.
Getting at the truth is a major topic of discussion during these days of turmoil within the Church. One of the ways we are able to grow in our knowledge and understanding of truth is through prayer. That includes in response to the scandals that continue to shake the Church daily. It is through prayer that we can come to understand God and rely fully on Him, regardless of what is going on around us.
All of us want to understand to some degree the reality of the universe around us, as well as the supernatural realm.
Intellectus means to “read from within.” To be intellectual — to be an intellectual — means to seek to see into the depths of reality. This is something we should all want to do and be. In fact, to a great degree we do not have much of a choice. Human beings are made with the capacity to “read from within.” We tend inevitably to seek the truth about what makes things the way they are.
Thomas Joseph White, O.P., The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism, 1.
Much of this life is marked by our desire to know the truth at greater depths. While there are various types of truth (i.e. metaphysical, theological, moral, etc.) our daily faith journey leads us to enter into the ever greater depths of Truth itself that is found in the Most Holy Trinity. It is this ever deepening communion with the Most Holy Trinity that is the trajectory of our lives. It is where our longing of truth is fulfilled.
Our most intimate encounter with God on this side of eternity occurs at the Mass where we are nourished body and soul through His Word and through the reception of His body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Holy Eucharist. It is in the Mass that our entire human nature is united completely with Christ. It’s an encounter that we can often see as ordinary or even mundane in our spiritual blindness or periods of indifference. In reality, the Holy Eucharist is where our Beloved unites Himself to us in the very depths of our souls. The Holy Eucharist is where Truth nourishes us body and soul.
Finding truth in prayer
It is also in our prayer life where we come before God in order to understand truth. It may be that we are seeking to understand an illness, affliction, offer praise, thanksgiving, consider a decision that needs to be made, or simply to rest in the peace of God in the midst of the demands of daily life. In prayer we give our whole selves over to God so that He may illuminate our intellect so that we can choose to act—will—in a certain way. Prayer is a surrender to the ultimate source of Truth.
Prayer is grounded in our natural desire for the truth. When we pray we are trying to find God, to praise, him, and to see all things realistically in light of him. In a sense, then, prayer stems from a search for perspective. It helps us understand the unfolding of our own lives in the context of God’s providence, and to surrender our hearts to him in trust. When we pray we are seeking to remain in the truth of Christ. Accordingly, Aquinas teaches that prayer is first and foremost an act of the intellect, because in prayer we lift up our minds to God, but this accordingly also gives rise to an inward act of the will that he terms “devotion,” by which he means the turning of our hearts to God and the inward submission of our hearts to the unspeakable goodness of God and his holy will. In short, in prayer we seek to know God and gain insight into his mystery, and we also seek to love God and to love others for the sake of God.
Ibid, 288-89.
Prayer uses both faculties of the soul — intellect and will — in seeking the truth of God. It also uses the body and the soul, our whole human nature. We pray interiorly, but often we use our body through outward gestures that unite our entire nature to God. We also pray individually on our own, but also communally through the Mass and other group settings. We are social creatures by nature, so too with prayer and our ultimate search for truth. We cannot seek truth in isolation. The Holy Trinity is a communion of Divine Persons. We too need to come together in prayer and communion as we seek to know and understand God as well as His plans for our lives.
It is this communal dimension that also helps us in times of strife, tragedy, confusion, and pain. In fact, suffering often forces us to come together in order to seek the truth that can only be found in God. The Mystical Body is greatly wounded right now. People are hurting, some because they are victims of the heinous acts perpetrated by predatory priests, and the rest of us because of the betrayal and evil that is coming to light in the Church we love. The constant parade of new revelations in the news serves to deepen these wounds.
Many bishops have come out recently stating that we need to seek the truth in all of the allegations being leveled. It is the truth that will set us free and it is the truth that will lead to healing and renewal in the Church. We cannot be afraid of the truth, no matter how painful or horrifying it may be, and no matter how far evil has penetrated the Church. Christ is always in control. He is the Head of the Church. He is working to cleanse and purify His Bride. As St. John Paul II said: “Be not afraid.”
Prayer is an opportunity for us to confront and discover the truth in all of these scandals. It is where we can confront ourselves and seek to live holier lives. Prayer joins us to one another in love. It is a much needed and essential part of our response and movement towards discovering the truth. God will also use our prayers and supplications to bring the truth into the light of day.
Our Lord often went up onto the mountain to pray during His public ministry. We too must go up to the mountain to pray individually and in our parish communities. We must frequently look away from the train wreck that is the news right now, and seek God in the silence of our souls and in the community we share as Catholics. The truth will eventually come to light in God’s time. Right now we can seek the truth through frequent prayer, union with God in the Sacraments, and in communion with one another. Together we can rest in the truth found in the Most Holy Trinity.
