Title: Session 3' Truth What is Truth
1Session 3.Truth? What is Truth?
2Objectives
- Open our hearts to the Truth
- Understand how our experiences and actions are
frequently out of alignment with Gods Will (the
Truth) - Challenge ourselves to move deeper into our
relationship with God, to actively invest
ourselves in our own spiritual journey
3God created man in His image, in the Divine
image He created him male and female He created
them. Gen 127
- Locked into mans heart
- Key is hidden by sin
- Reality based on sensual pleasures becomes truth
- Man looses touch with the real Truth ? God
- Here Satan attacks!
4Pope John Paul IIs Philosophical Project
- Objective Reality
- Mans outer world
- Whats going on around us
- The mind, senses
- Our truth
- Subjective Reality
- Mans inner world
- Whats going on inside us
- The heart, soul
- How we experience our truth
5For the law of the spirit of life in Christ
Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and
death. Rom 82
6Removing God from Society
- Remove the Truth
- Without Truth
- Abortion
- Sexual promiscuity
- Homosexual marriage
- Slippery slope ? wrong turn
7Humanae Vitae (1968)
- Marriage is given to man by God
- Conjugal act must allow for procreation of life
- Contraception/sterilization interferes in
self-donating aspect of one flesh union and are
against Gods Will (Truth) - Abortion is against Gods Will as the Author of
human life
8Objective Ends of Marriage
- Traditional Church teaching
- Procreation
- Mutual help (i.e., love)
- Remedy for concupiscence (keep each other from
adultery) - Reaffirmed by Humanae Vitae
- Society rejected Humanae Vitae
- out of touch with reality
St. Thomas Aquinas
9New Sexual Revolution
- Society devalues dignity of the body
- Lust
- Pornography
- Adultery
- Merge traditional Church teachings personal
experiences - Spousal Union and the Church
- Self-donation for sake of communion with spouse
- Restore sex to original glory purity as God
intended in the beginning - Love ? essence of marriage
10Why does man not see the Truth?
- Asks Why am I here?
- Sees only himself
- Does not recognize the divine image in his own
reflection - Exists for own pleasure
- Narcissism (self-love)
- Self as a god
11Culture of Life
Enter through the narrow gate for the gate is
wide and the road broad that leads to
destruction, and those who enter through it are
many. How narrow the gate and constricted the
road that leads to life. And those who find it
are few. Mt 713-14
12Culture of Death
- Gate to Heaven is wide
- Most will get into Heaven without effort
- Direct opposition to Jesus teaching
- Drift with the culture ? away from the Truth
- Church ? maintain our focus on The Truth
13Spiritual Journey St. John of the Cross
Spousal union on Earth foreshadows the potential
spiritual marriage with God!
14Our Personal Spiritual Journey
- Takes effort on our part
- Need help
- Lighten our load
- What can we do?
- Prayer
- Detachment from things worldly (sensual
pleasures) - Faith and works
Trust in the grace and mercy of God
15Questions
- How is my will not aligned with Gods Will (the
Truth)? - How do I go about conforming my will to Gods
Will? - What do I need to do next to begin or to progress
on my spiritual journey?
Next session Original Solitude