“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).
Today, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth. As the Spirit of Truth, He not only witnesses to us, He also leads us to discover every truth. We live in a world where people are loved for telling lies and hated for speaking the truth. The spirit of lies is one demon that has possessed such a vast majority of our population, old and young, rich and poor alike.
We fall too easily into the lie-trap because we do not realize the seriousness of the existence of lies in our lives. No wonder the popular saying goes: “Say the truth and shame the devil.” Telling of lies glorifies the devil. Spreading falsehood deliberately just to incite others or achieve mundane objectives is plainly assisting the devil in his work as a destroyer.
Jesus tells us: “He (the Holy Spirit) will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it you”(John 16:14). Dear friends, anyone who lies lacks the Spirit of Truth – the Holy Spirit.
Another sign of the absence of the Holy Spirit is resistance to the truth; fighting people simply because they tell us the truth. The Athenians did not grant audience to Paul because they couldn’t face the truth. They acknowledged their ignorance by making an Altar with the inscription: “To An unknown god,” but when Paul tried to clear their ignorance, they resisted him. Truly, there are some people who know they are ignorant yet they remain satisfied in their ignorance.
There are times we know fully well that someone is telling us the truth but instead of listening, we become defensive and begin to find faults in the person. We literally look for a thousand reasons to shut the person down. Nevertheless, Truth is too powerful to be hidden. The world may believe lies for a while but one day, like a volcanic eruption, it forces itself out.
Let us pray: Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and enkindle in us your Sacred Fire. Amen. Bible Study: Acts 17:15-18:1, Psalm 148 and John 16:12-15).
Fr. Abu