It is not enough to say one believes in God yet fails to not only live their Credo in everyday life, but also fail to speak the Truth to those who need to hear it. Faith is not making sure we are saved but that ALL may be Saved by following the Word of God and the Tenets of our Church, and it is when we see many going astray that it is incumbent upon the faithful Catholic to gently correct the one in error. As Scripture instructs us, 'I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.' If this is not enough to convince those who refuse to correct another let us look to the Teachings of our Church, "The eighth commandment forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others. This moral prescription flows from the vocation of the holy people to bear witness to their God who is the truth and wills the truth. Offenses against the truth express by word or deed a refusal to commit oneself to moral uprightness: they are fundamental infidelities to God and, in this sense, they undermine the foundations of the covenant...Man tends by nature toward the truth. He is obliged to honor and bear witness to it: "It is in accordance with their dignity that all men, because they are persons . . . are both impelled by their nature and bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth once they come to know it and direct their whole lives in accordance with the demands of truth." This should be a warning to all that we are obligated to speak God's Truth as revealed to us through Scripture and the Doctrines of our Church.
If we choose not to speak the Truth in fear of one's popularity this then shows an inordinate love of self over and above that of God and neighbour for it behooves no-one to allow another to continue to sin by giving wrong advice. As the Catechism teaches us, "Before Pilate, Christ proclaims that he "has come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. The Christian is not to "be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord. In situations that require witness to the faith, the Christian must profess it without equivocation, after the example of St. Paul before his judges. We must keep "a clear conscience toward God and toward men...The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. This witness is a transmission of the faith in words and deeds. Witness is an act of justice that establishes the truth or makes it known." As we see in order to show true and sincere love to our neighbour we need to speak the Truth in all gentleness as we also realise that none are perfect and we all fall short of the Glory of God.
At times there is such an inordinate fear of 'judging' others that many fall prey to over scrupulosity and rather than speak the Truth they instead encourage the sinner to continue in the same manner thereby making themselves complicit in another's sin. Once again the Catechism instructs the faithful in regards to correcting others, "Every word or attitude is forbidden which by flattery, adulation , or complaisance encourages and confirms another in malicious acts and perverse conduct. Adulation is a grave fault if it makes one an accomplice in another's vices or grave sins. Neither the desire to be of service nor friendship justifies duplicitous speech. Adulation is a venial sin when it only seeks to be agreeable, to avoid evil, to meet a need, or to obtain legitimate advantages." When we correct another in error this is not judging for as we correct we also pray for the person, which is an act of selfless love. We also acknowledge that we too are sinners therefore all judgments over the outcome of the person caught in error should be left in God's Hand as we pray for their salvation.
Unfortunately though many Catholics have been led into folly be embracing the latest trends including that which God has condemned such as the active homosexual lifestyle, the right for women to murder their own unborn babies, adultery, immodesty and profane language. Rather than be seen to stand on Truth alone, many instead compromise their beliefs in order to fit into what is a dysfunctional society. Once again Scripture warns against this false sense of priorities, "Nevertheless, many, even among the authorities, believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not acknowledge it openly in order not to be expelled from the synagogue. For they preferred human praise to the glory of God....And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak." We need to remember that it is not our own truth we testify too but is God's Revealed Truth, which needs to be spoken even to those who have closed their ears to the Truth.
To withhold the Truth from one in error is an act of the highest form of self love, for the intent of hiding the Truth is not so much to avoid hurting another's feelings as to protect one's own popularity to the detriment of the one in need of hearing the Truth as it is. Indeed some may even join in on actions which would displease God in order for them to maintain their popularity and also so as not to be called 'pious' or 'holier than thou' as if man's opinion were greater than Gods! As St. John Vianney admonished his parish with these words, "One section, and perhaps it is the largest section, of people everywhere are wholly wrapped up in the things of this world. And of this large number there are those who are content to have suppressed all feeling of religion, all thought of another life, who have done everything in their power to efface the terrible thought of the judgment which one day they will have to undergo. They employ all their wiles, and often their wealth, during the course of their lives to attract to their way of life as many people as they can. They no longer believe in anything. They even take a pride in making themselves out to be more impious and incredulous than they really are in order to convince others and to make them believe, not in the verities, but in the falsehoods which they wish to take root in the hearts of those under their influence." Will any heed these warnings concerning not only an acceptance of sin but of encouraging it?
There is the mistake also that many Christians fall into and that is thinking that they must be loved by all, therefore they will not correct anyone so as to maintain their appearance of 'niceness' and their 'tolerant' attitude to alternative lifestyles. Our Lord did not instruct us to accept sin as a right in order for us to be comfortable, rather He warns His followers not to become lukewarm, this means not accepting sin as lawful if it is against Gods Moral Law. There are too many Christians who have more fear of man than of Gods Divine Justice, for though God is Merciful still His Justice will be done to those who have committed grave offenses. To carry on in sin on the premise of Gods Mercy is the height of presumption, for God can only be merciful to those who acknowledge their sin and through the Sacraments of the Church are absolved of such sins with the intent of true and contrite remorse over their actions. We read in Acts Peters testament to the Truth, "We gave you strict orders (did we not?) to stop teaching in that name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood upon us." But Peter and the apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging ! him on a tree....We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him."
If Peter testified that 'we must obey God' do we nullify this by agreeing that sin is normal and correct? It is when some feel that to speak the Truth may cause offense to those who live immoral lives that their own level of Faith needs to be examined, for do they follow the Truths of God or the lies of Satan? As St. Francis de Sales warns those who wish to appease the worldly, "It is an act of charity to cry out against the wolf when he is among the sheep." If some are thinking 'but this Saint is of another time and day, then we also have the admonishment of the late Pope John Paul II as he stated, "A failure to speak the truth because of a misconceived sense of compassion should not be taken for love. We do not have the right to minimize matters of our own accord, even with the best of intentions. Our task is to be God's witnesses, to be spokesmen of a mercy that saves 'even when it shows itself as JUDGMENT' on man's sin." Is this not enough to convince those who profess to be Catholics to speak as Catholics rather than make of themselves counterfeits to the Truth by proclaiming their own misguided self truths.
If we fear persecution then should our martyred Saints have chosen to live with a lie rather than die for the Truth? When we fail to speak Gods Revealed Truth and water it down because some may feel it is politically incorrect, are they then not in fear of spreading a false doctrine based on their own ill-conceived opinions on what they reason as their own acceptable 'truths' as they demand tolerance so sin can become acceptable to all. It would be a grave thing indeed to be ashamed to speak Gods Word in case it injures their own reputation and popularity, for this is not love of neighbour but love of self.
As Jesus warned us to paraphrase, who ever is ashamed of Him on earth He will be ashamed of them in Heaven. In order to discern ones motives when speaking about our Faith, do you worry that you will lose friends if you speak Gods Truth and the Teachings of our Church? Or do you instead speak Gods Truth irrespective of the consequences to your own person?
Do you wish to find favour with God or man for you cannot please both....
Peace of Christ to ALL
Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.
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