In today's Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus tells His disciples, "But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth." This is why we believe the Catholic Church contains the fullness of truth.
In the first reading from Acts 17, we hear Paul's speech at the Areopagus. Here he says to the Athenians, "God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice’ through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.”
You've probably heard the old saying "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." That's not necessarily true in spiritual matters. In the spiritual life, ignorance reduces culpability. But once that ignorance is removed, the responsibility increases. In other words, once one knows the truth, one must change their lives to conform to that truth. That calls for repentance. As we grow in our understanding, we must also grow in our repentance.
Father, help us to know the truths of our faith more and more, and give us the grace to conform our lives to your truth. Amen.
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