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On Focus
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 THE
WITNESS
- By Sansu Garin
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“I solemnly swear
to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me
God.”
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I remember saying these words several years ago when I
was asked to give a testimony in court. No, it’s not the kind of
made-for-TV legal drama in a courtroom involving stern judges, tenacious
lawyers, pathetic plaintiffs and dubious defendants, that you might
imagine, but nevertheless, a serious, veritable judicial proceeding. The
lawyers are even in their full legal regalia - wigs, coats and all!
Funny it may seem, but it was certainly no trivial issue being called in
to witness!
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The guiding rule I learned from that experience was
stating only what I personally knew or did, not what other people knew
or did. To be a credible witness, one should tell the fact as it is.
Firsthand knowledge carries a lot of weight. For one to witness to a
truth, it is necessary to be involved in that truth.
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I believe the above principle similarly applies in our
call to discipleship. We can only be credible disciples if we live in
the Truth, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, Jesus said,
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Jesus is the only Way that
we must follow, for it is only through Him that we can go to the
Father. Jesus is the irrefutable Truth in whom we must anchor our
lives, for He is the perfect representation of “what is” in the eyes of
God. Jesus is the source of Life that we must cling to, for He has made
possible for us life eternal.
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In witnessing for the Truth, it is vital that what we
share to others are our own encounters with the Lord, that is,
our personal experiences, our very own story co-written with Jesus. So
that these become meaningful testimonies and not merely stories to
tell. We might not have the same experiences as those of the early
disciples, who walked with Jesus, or ate, drank and lived with Him. But
we have one Holy Spirit, who worked powerfully in the disciples to whom
Christ bequeathed the responsibility to continue His mission, the same
mission to which all of us are also called. The same Spirit is in us
right now, letting us feel and experience the glorious presence of Jesus
in every moment of our lives, as long as we yield.
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Yielding our lives to the Holy Spirit entails dying
to ourselves, so that in the words of St. Paul in Galatians 2:19, we
also can say, “…It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in
me…” And people who see Jesus Christ in us will follow and live in
the Truth. It is said that the sign of a true Christian, i.e., we are
seen as followers of Christ, is when people are in awe and praise the
Lord because of our words and actions - the moral life we live.
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Let’s ask ourselves: Do people see Jesus in ME, who
claim to be His follower? Whatever our answers are, it is my
fervent prayer that each of us can rise above our weaknesses to be
witnesses of the hope, joy and glory that is in Jesus Christ.
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By the way, you might be wondering how my day in court
ended. As far as I can remember, it went well. Because if you stay in
the side of truth, you can never go wrong!
- TELL US LIKE IT IS!
- Has something
wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did God answer your
prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like Isaiah, meet God’s
whisper?
- Have you felt His
powerful hand working in your life recently?
- Everyday, people are
experiencing God’s mighty Word in their lives and it is a pity that very
few know about it. Do you have a story to tell? Some Good News to
share?
- E-mail us (genesis@catholic.org) or fax us
(021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You don’t have to be
a great writer to do this. We can help you write it – just tell us like
it is!
- Don’t forget to write
the subject: “Let Me Tell You A
Story”
For comments, suggestions or
ideas:
E-mail us: genesis@catholic.org
Write us: Jl. Bacang No. 20 Kebayoran Baru,
Jakarta Selatan, Indonesia
Call us: (6221) 720-3824
Fax us: (6221) 662-7384
Genesis Catholic
Community - All Rights Reserved 2003
No part of this website may be copied,
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webmaster.
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