“I know that it is well with your soul. For I greatly rejoiced when some of the brethren arrived and testified to the truth of your life, as indeed you do follow the truth. No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth” (3 Jn, 1:3-4). So St. John the Theologian writes in his third epistle, a passage which is read on Monday during cheesefare week.
What does St. John mean when he speaks about“the truth of your life”? He gives a hint by following that with “you do follow the truth.” In other words, our lives are true inasmuch as they follow the path of salvation, as they are guided by the teachings of Christ, who is the Truth. That this is important for Christians, St. John emphasizes by saying that he can have no greater joy than his children following the truth.
St. John speaks in his epistle as an apostle, a teacher, someone who has authority and spiritual fatherhood. As a spiritual father, he desires only what is good for his spiritual children and knows that the greatest good is to abide in God, as Christ Himself commanded. However, this desire, resting on a foundation of faith and love, is by no means restricted to apostles, teachers, or spiritual fathers. Indeed, if we desire what is best for those around us, we desire their salvation.
This does not mean that there are no other things in which we can rejoice with those around us, or other things that we can desire for them. What it means is that our greatest joy should come from seeing the lives of those around us align with the teachings of Christ and that our greatest desire should be to see them align their lives with those teachings.
It is tempting for other things to become the focus of life. It is tempting for us to desire other things for those around us before we think of their salvation. Again, these are not necessarily bad or unimportant things: a good education, health, and a certain degree of financial security are all worthwhile things
They are not, however, the greatest good, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:25-26), The greatest good, then, is the salvation of our souls. This is what St. John knows, this is why he rejoices when a life is guided by the truth of Christ., and this is what the Church reminds us going into Great Lent.
There is also a corollary to St. John’s words about following the truth, which is that it is possible for lives to follow lies. They can be beautifully adorned lies, or lies that are easy to swallow, or lies that we want to believe are true. It takes discernment to see the truth of our lives, but it is important to seek it and then to direct our lives to the Truth.
So, this Lent, let us direct our lives towards Christ. We start with our own lives, by devoting extra time to personal prayer, services, and spiritual study, as well as by examining our lives in the light of Christ’s teachings and making changes wherever needed so that our lives may indeed be true. Then, with our families, by choosing our activities with care and making a concerted effort to attend services together. May God bless our striving.