Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him.
I have read recently of the deep divisions within the House of Trump. His ardent supporters are so eager to promote him and his big lie that many have turned viciously against one another. Especially because "there's gold in them there fields!" --but less gold all the time as interest in a losing cause fades -- they accuse one another of not being truly loyal, of lying, of ignorance and stupidity.
It's not easy to agree on a lie.
But it's not difficult to agree on the Truth. The Catholic Church survived violent, bloody persecutions during its earliest centuries because people from Spain to India, from England to North Africa agreed on the truth. The Spirit of God gave men and women, boys and girls the courage of the martyrs to believe in Jesus of Nazareth as risen from the dead, the Word made Flesh, who is received in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Meanwhile hundreds of heresies sprang up and quarreled with each other. Few gathered more than a handful of adherents; they could not agree on a lie.
To tell the truth one must love the Truth. She is more desirable than gold or silver, more delightful than I love Lucy or The Wizard of Oz; more beautiful than Miss Universe; and sweeter than wine. She is also demanding, a jealous God who abides no falsehood or deception. We love her with all our being or not at all.
Those who are unwilling to live within the Truth, to be governed, guided, and judged by the truth, tell lies. They tell you what they want you to believe, or what you want to believe, or what seems most plausible or most popular. They like the simple, "common sense" explanations -- what they've known all their lives -- although common sense has little knowledge of history or science. (If common sense tells you that men have always gone to work while women stayed at home to raise the children, it's because they don't remember when both parents worked at home in their workshops, stores, and farms.)
The love of Truth demands attention and care as the honest person chooses the right words to convey the right message to this particular person or audience. Because different people have different backgrounds, education, experience, and levels of maturity, the same words do not convey the same truth to everyone. Honest people know that. They listen even as they speak to those who listen to them. They ask, "Are we understanding the same thing?"
When asked a hard question honesty has to think about it for a while. Sometimes they must do research. If it's a personal question, they research their own hearts. If it is a matter of controversy they study even as they wait for more information, and then to process that information. And when they discover that they spoke inaccurately, they admit they were wrong. (It's not hard to do.)
The love of Truth is never rude, brutal, or intentionally hurtful. The truth may hurt but that is never the intention of those who speak the truth. The truth sets us free if we're willing to be free. If not, she abandons us to the painful consequences. Honesty speaks the truth in love, or not at all.
As we ponder January 6, 2021 -- everything that led up to it, the events of that day, and the unfolding story since that trauma -- we pray that the United States has not become a house divided against itself. We pray that truth will bring us together, chastened, humble, and willing to speak the truth in love.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.