Consecrated in truth, overcoming scandals

A week doesn’t pass by when we don’t hear of another scandal. What does our scandal-ridden age need most to right itself?

  The Gospel of John gives us our answer! In Chapter 17, verse 18, Christ prays that the Father will “consecrate … in truth” all those whom the Father has given to him – and that includes us!

   To be consecrated in the truth is to be anointed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord – the perfect antidotes to our scandalous environment.

   The Scriptures repeatedly speak of God’s desire for a wise and prudent age. One of the qualities of prudence is clearsightedness.

   Put simply, it means biting the bullet and coming clean when facing up to the truth.

  Prudence requires that we not flinch or dodge when faced with a moral judgment. When confronted with a choice for good or bad, prudence prompts us to ask whether we have looked afar and considered the consequences of our actions: Do we listen to our conscience and look for God’s will in it?

  Judgment is at the heart of prudence. The culprit behind many of today’s scandals is bad judgment in which unbridled emotions override right reason, the excitement of the moment outweighs future consequences, inhibitions are unleashed and selfishness reigns.

   Ultimately, today’s scandals boil down to the human spirit running wild.

  Our present cultivation of inspiring, stalwart role models is less than inspiring. A laissez-faire environment that is more condoning than discerning is tolerated. In some areas of religion, God’s beautiful example of humility is drowned out by religious self-righteousness. If this sounds moralistic, it is!

   Whenever morality is in jeopardy, somewhere the gifts of the Holy Spirit have been trampled upon.

   To be the wise age that God  intends for us to be, we must cultivate a sounder judgment, a deeper understanding of the wisdom of God’s statutes. We must take counsel with those statutes and make God – not public opinion – the judge of our actions.

   The practice of prudence, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord is to fulfill being consecrated in truth – a truth that overcomes all.