|
Monday, November 21, 2005
Alipio: The divine-human partnership
By Fr. Jose Alipio
TODAY'S gospel lesson describes another run-in between Jesus and the religious elite of his day. These chief priests were not bad men in the sense that they had evil hearts. They were simply defenders of the religious status quo during a time when the old teachings and practices were being challenged by the new.
Like embattled traditionalists in every day and age, the religious establishment fought back against the innovators because they saw them as enemies of their faith. But they drew the line at violence because they feared the reaction of the common people who welcomed the preaching of John and Jesus.
Jesus played on their reluctance to stir up public trouble when these religious leaders tried to trap him into blasphemy by claiming divine authority for his teachings.
What those defensive religious leaders apparently did not understand is that religious authority is always a divine-human partnership. No human being arrives at the truth through his own cleverness or persuasiveness.
The truth always comes from God, regardless of who discovers or discloses the truth. But God does not miraculously reveal his truth in the clouds. He does not funnel his truth into inactive minds. God gives the truth to those human beings who roll up their sleeves and busy themselves in search for the truth. The discovery of truth can never be assigned either totally to God or totally to man.
Truth comes when we reach up toward God and God reaches down towards us. The quest for truth is never a one-way street. The quest for truth is always a divine-human partnership.
(November 21, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
