The Risk of Seeking Truth Katrina Barnett

I once had a conversation with a young Catholic woman from Uruguay about becoming close to God. There was a bit of a language barrier between the two of us, but I was determined that we should understand each other on a topic of such importance. At one point in our discussion I made mention that if one seeks to know God one must examine oneself, one's failings, vices, and whatever else that might prevent humankind from bridging the gap between us and God. This, I told my friend, was one of the most frightening things to do. No one likes to look at ugly things, especially when those things are components of oneself. At this conclusion, the young woman looked at me with a confused, aggressive expression and retorted "Why are you afraid of Jesus?" Though she had a very valid point--in the end, why should we fear examining who we are if it means bringing ourselves closer to God?—she failed to understand what I was trying to say, which is merely that self-discovery, while being one of the most favorable pursuits we as humans can attempt, is a hard and difficult expedition. In an effort to truly understand ourselves and others we have to cast aside the images we've created and search for our real identity.

I find...