You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free

WEDNESDAY 1 APRIL (Jn 8,31-42)

Knowing the truth is transforming our nature, in Christ, for Christ and with Christ, through the uninterrupted work of the Holy Spirit, from nature inherited from Adam, a nature of sin and consequently a slave of it, to a spiritual nature, for an ever growing participation in the divine nature. To live the new nature needs the Body of Christ and his Blood, but also his Word, as the way on which to always walk. Persevering in the knowledge of the truth is not easy. Many return to the bondage of the flesh: “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. You were running well; who hindered you from following (the) truth? For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Cf. Gal 5,1-26). A moment of inattention is enough, the fall into a temptation and from the spirit one passes into the flesh. Today we have passed from the Gospel to the word of men.

Jesus then said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if a son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.” They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!” (So) they said to him, “We are not illegitimate. We have one Father, God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.

Walking in the Word, in full and uninterrupted fidelity, is the only possibility way we have of remaining free in Christ and for him: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does ” (Jm 1,22-25). Today we want freedom without obedience, without grace, without truth, without any law to respect, without any Gospel to live. We want the freedom of vice and transgression of each Commandment. And as if this were not enough, every transgression of the commandments, every abomination and wickedness, are called the law of freedom and the right of man. If someone only ventures to say in a low voice that this is slavery and not freedom, other than being charged with homophobia, he is also accused of psychological terrorism. This is the gravity of the hour we are experiencing: the powers of evil impose their slavery of sin and death by law. They are the benefactors of humanity. If the Christian preaches the Gospel, he is accused of subversion, lack of charity and being a man scarce in humanity.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, give Christians the frankness to proclaim the Gospel.