Devotion - Thursday, March 31

John 8:32 is an often quoted verse. Jesus says, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

He has been trying to explain who he is, why he had come, and his relationship to The Father. His listeners have been slow to understand.

The truth does set us free. The truth assures us of God's love, of God's grace, of God's intentions toward us. The truth is that we are deeply loved, valued, and sought after. The truth is that God will bridge the gap which so often separates us. The truth is that God so loved the world that he will give his son in order that we might be saved.

This verse was altered in a quote by Pope John XXIII. The alteration of this quote is part of a beautiful paper relief my wife made for me shortly after we were married. John said, "The truth will make you free, but first it will make you miserable." Known for his concern for the least among us, John was pained by the realities of hunger and hardship. He knew the truth, of God's love for us; he also knew the truth with regard to how far too many of God's children continue to live. Why must those for whom Christ died continue to live lives of desperation?

It makes one miserable, when you realize that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. But greed and strife and lack of commitment means some eat to excess while others starve. It makes one miserable, to observe "second homes" which sit empty for much of the year, while others are sleeping in cardboard boxes or on park benches. It makes one miserable, to know the truth. None of us - not one of us - need be enslaved to heartbreak or desolation.

The truth does make us free. In that freedom, we are able more clearly see the world's suffering. That freedom allows us to know that suffering is not necessary. Our freedom prods us to address the ills of our world and to assist in making God's will known.