It is 12th March 2016. The readings are from Jeremiah 11:18-20; and the Gospel from John 7:40-53. The first reading invites us to imbibe the spirit of surrendering to God at the time of hardships and rejection. The people in the hometown of Jeremiah plotted to silence him due to economic, religious, political and personal reasons. The prophet had only two options. Either to run away or to surrender to the Lord. Fight back with the help of God or to flee from the situation. Jeremiah called on God and God responded him in time of need. The reinforcement and the courage to face the resistance comes by our leaning on God. The responsorial Psalm prays, “Lord God, I take refuge in you.” (Ps.7:2). In the Gospel, we listen that the plot against Jesus is thickening. The truth has its place even if people shuts off it from their lives. God used Nicodemus along with a few people to speak for truth and to give a fair listening to the truth. Jesus is the truth needs to be given a chance in our lives and in the community we live in. Even if the whole world is against the message of Jesus, it is our moral responsibility as a believer to tell it with conviction. Our openness to the message of Christ is required when there are millions of diversifying voices are heard around us. Our arrogance and pride in possessing a particular string of knowledge or skill must not extinguish the flames of truth. It is time to speak for Jesus even if there are oppositions around us. It is time to stand by Jesus and to lean on Him when we ourselves faced with such resistance in our lives. We need to create rooms for truth to be born. Truth does not require human testimony. And therefore, we must not jump into conclusions when we have a limited portions of the truth. Our truthful living is only a witness to what we already believe in. It is our openness and courage to accept truth makes the truth to come out in and around us. Our faith and social encounters have to help us to encounter Jesus, the Truth. May God bless you.