No Foolin'

One

We live in an age of unprecedented information access, while at the same time live in an age of unprecedented truth crises. We have plenty of news, but we don’t know what’s true. Further, there seems to be a concerted effort to keep it that way. Jesus words in the sermon on the mount take on unprecedented importance. “Again, you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one.” (Mt 5:33-48).

Jesus is truth. Jesus is the truth. Anything outside of Him comes from Evil, anything outside the truth is a lie. And so if we wish to remain in Him and remain in His peace, His love and His happiness, we must remain in truth.

When are we tempted to lie, what do we hope to gain by lying? Is it worth leaving Jesus?

Two

We too easily get used to white lies, especially to get out of trouble. However, the world as God created runs on the truth. Trade, economics, schedules buying and selling only work when people are honest and can be trusted. Without trust, social harmony breaks down and produces discord. Christ’s teaching calls for integrity and truth telling to live in peace. It was common practice then, and still is today, to swear by things you hold important. This gave the sense that the oath you swear, unlike your other words, are going to be held as sacred as the thing you swear by. But if your words are shady, and only some parts of your life are on the up and up, you are disqualified to be trusted. This breeds suspicion and disunity, and is a product of Satan, the father of lies. God is not deceptive or disunifying. God is truth and God is One. And he created us to be like Him. But to be like Him in one way, we must be like Him in all ways. If we want His peace, His happiness, His Love in us, we must have His unity in us.

Dear Jesus, what in my life is causing disunity? What part of my life is fractured? Lord, help me heal. Help be to become one, as you Oh Lord are one.

Three

I often begin prayers by saying “Let us place ourselves in the presence of almighty God in whom we live, and move, and have our being.” This passage is taken from Acts 17:28, and has always struck me as beautiful and profound. Here, Paul quotes the Greek poet and Philosopher Epimenides from a poem he wrote to Zeus. Translated it says:

“They fashioned a tomb for you, holy and high one,
People of Crete, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies.
But you are not dead: you live and abide forever,
For in you we live and move and have our being.”

I mention this for two reasons. One, people from Crete are apparently always liars so they especially need to hear this rosary. (JK!)

And two, we see that Paul was well versed in the culture of the Greeks. And the Culture of the Greeks were well versed in Truth, at least to a larger extant than the rest of the ancient world. Paul knew the truth found in their culture and was able to connect it to the Truth of Christ. If we immerse ourselves in Christ, we will be able to appreciate any other true thing, since it is true because it participates in Him. And we therefore can evangelize through all our conversations. Being close to Christ means seeing His truth and unity reflected in everything else.

And so, when I speak the truth, I am healing the world’s divisions. If we want unity, we must speak the truth.

Four

“Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be Honest anyway” – Mother Teresa.

You may be thinking “But I don’t really lie too often.” Well, let us use the following examination to have a more accurate self-assessment about being a person of our word:

Do I promise to be somewhere at a certain time and frequently run late or never show?

Do I find myself talking about others in a way that exaggerates their faults?

Do I lie to others and say I am busy and don’t have time when in fact I could make room in my schedule?

Do I embellish my life on social media, putting forth a version that is not wholly true to get more likes or to attract attention?

Do I lie to myself, promising to do this or that later, and that I will get it done another time so that I can have more time now?

Do I fib to excuse myself or get out of trouble?

St Jerome Emilani has a sobering quote about lies:

“If I do not speak the Truth, I become a slave to the Father of Lies, and a member of his body of lies”

In other words, if I speak the truth, I am freed from slavery to the father of lies, and I become a thriving member of the Body of Christ.

Five

Let us close with the image of Saint Nathaniel. We Read in the first Chapter of John: “When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit” (Jn 1:47).

Most images of Nathaniel show him in heaven holding his own skin. This is a double reference. He was martyred by being skinned alive, and so his execution method shows what he was willing to endure for Christ. But this imagery also points to the fact he is the same on the inside as on the outside. When things got tough, and for Nathiel skinned-alive tough, he remained the same. This is the test of one who lives in the Truth. When push come to shove, will I stay in the truth?

Lord, you see me now. I am your child, but there is deceit in me. Help me to live in you, in the truth. Help me to bring your unity to the world, that on the day I die, you may say to me, “Here truly is a Christian in whom there is no deceit.”