Albany Times Union

Truth resurrects, restores us

- By Bernadette Bonanno ▶ Bernadette Bonanno lives in Albany and can be reached at bernadette­bonanno@gmail.com.

Children of all ages are innately attracted to the Truth surroundin­g us. Gradually, our culture distorts this attraction. Our purpose might be to restore it.

For years, words of wisdom have been taped above our kitchen sink and on the bathroom mirror. There are always dishes to be washed and bladders to empty. So, these visual reminders help guide our family’s thoughts.

Recently, I was standing next to my 8-year-old grandson, Max. At the sink, washing his hands before dinner, Max silently read a C.S. Lewis quote taped to the bathroom mirror, “You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.”

Drying his hands, Max gestured to the words and said, “I like that one, Grandma.” As he walked out, I thought, “Maybe we’re attracted to Truth because Truth is in us.”

As a mother of four sons, I was often asked to play “Guys.” This involved laying on my stomach, supported by my elbows, holding a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle in each hand and crashing it into the Turtles our sons were holding. I did not like this game. My elbows ached, and my hands hurt.

My go-to activity was “Wanna read a story?” For years, our sons repeatedly brought the same books for us to read. Their natural attraction to stories filled with humor and Truths, such as love, generosity, forgivenes­s and a work ethic was consistent.

Now, with grandkids and my diminishin­g energy, story time with well-worn favorites remains my default activity. The older kids are less interested, but when they hear me reading the familiar Truths, they meander close by and, along with the little ones, finish the sentences.

Because our office is only half a mile from our home, I have time in the morning to get things done. I turn off the TV and computer and while doing “my stuff,” I talk to God. I lay out the details of my concerns, as if the Almighty needs clarificat­ion. Some days, I am what Emily Dickinson wrote, “out with lanterns looking for myself.”

Other days, an idea drops into my head and I feel prompted to write it down.

This happened at the beginning of Lent, after looking up the modern definition­s of “sin” and “repentance” and those written in Greek, the original language of the New Testament. The original definition­s differ big time from the ones I remember as a child!

Sin (Hamartia) is defined as, “Missing the mark.” Repentance (Metanoia) is defined as, “A change of mind.”

The idea-drop was this: We ought to cut ourselves a break when we “Miss the mark.” Then with “A change of mind,” rearrange our behavior. Truth in the form of people, nature, music and sacred writings will prompt us. We are loved too much to stay as we are.

This morning, I read a story by Matthew Kelly about monks in a monastery who were not getting along. The abbott, at a loss for what to do, left the monks for five days and visited a hermit for advice. He received this Truth-filled idea on how to address contention in relationsh­ips: “Treat everyone you ever meet like the second coming of Jesus, in disguise.”

You can bet those words of Truth will be taped above my kitchen sink all year long!

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