Truth and Goodness

"Honesty sprouts in the soil of the heart; its root is love, its fruit is goodness."

 Isaac of Nineveh (7th Century)

Within the human being there lies a hidden touchstone: values.

These values, nourished by the teachings of Christ, become inner maps where the soul encounters truth and is moulded by goodness. For every genuine act of goodness first germinates in a thought; and that thought is rooted in a value grounded in love.

Truth is not merely a way of acting. It is the silent dwelling of the soul: it nourishes, strengthens, and guards us from within.

Christ’s words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14: 6), remind us that truth is not only a virtue but also divine guidance.

A person without values cannot establish this dwelling. To know truth, to draw near to it, to remain in it—all of this depends on the fabric of values rooted in Christ.

Universal values mature through the long journey of mind and heart; they are distilled, tested, clarified, and deepened by the love of Christ. Every thought, concept, and belief that serves humanity carries a value upon its shoulders. For this reason, truth is inseparable from value. And whatever is truly real will, sooner or later, reach goodness. For the truth found in Christ does not cause loss; rather, it draws the person nearer to their own essence and to the image of the Lord.

The person who does not discover their inner value, who does not recognise the worth of value itself, lacks firm roots to cling to in life. For in every heart, on every tongue, and in every action there must be something cherished: a word, a faith, a person, a thought, a teaching, a hope…

To imagine that a person could exist without caring for anything strains the mind. The real matter is: what does one hold sacred? For it is value that shapes the human being, while truth chisels, refines, and illumines that form with the love of Christ.

Today’s world is more in need than ever of goodness nourished by truth, of love rooted in Christ. For every lie erodes a value; and with each eroded value, the fountain of goodness within dries up a little more. Therefore, the human being must first safeguard the values within; must learn to carry truth not as a burden, but as a gift from Christ.

The simplest truth is this: Goodness blossoms from truth; truth breathes through value; and value finds its fullness in Christ.

What remains is the inner garden that each person cultivates within themselves: silent, deep, unfading. And there, in Christ, hope takes root and flourishes.

Yusuf Beğtaş