Aug. 17, 2006

‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor’

Part Three

In the previous issue of The Catholic Sun, I looked at some of the offenses against the truth that we struggle against most frequently today, especially the big lies that darken the whole of society. Now, I would like to focus on the smaller deceits and lies that can ever so gradually corrupt the heart.

Many kinds of lies

Lies come in a variety of forms, some of them quite subtle and others quite bold. St. Paul (Eph 4:25) urges us to “put away all falsehood.” St. Peter writes (I Pet 2:1), “Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy and all slander.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2475ff) lists the following as offenses against truth: false witness and perjury, calumny, flattery, boasting or bragging, and rash judgment.

While these various lies differ significantly, their impact is quite similar. Lies of any shape or form harm other people and sow seeds of distrust in society. They also corrupt the person who lies. Should lying become an ingrained habit, a spiritual vice, the person who lies can reach the point where he no longer is able to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong. His own lies warp his very perception of reality itself. A habitual liar cuts himself off from the truth, and therefore from the source of truth, that is from God; then, he becomes a slave of Satan, the father of lies.

Of course, not all lies are equally serious. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (#2484), “The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims.” A common excuse offered in defense of falsehood is the saying, “it was just a little white lie.” But, whatever the seriousness may be, every lie is a misuse of the gift of speech. Every lie is a failure in charity and a breach of justice.

Truth alone is not enough

The gift of speech can be misused, even when we say what is true. While we can speak the truth in love, we can also speak the truth in anger or in jealousy. We can tell the hidden faults of others to persons who have no right to know. When doing so, we injure their reputation and harm their good name, even though we have not lied.

It is good to remember the words of Pope John Paul II about the necessary connection between truth and love. Speaking on the occasion of the canonization of St. Edith Stein, the late Holy Father said that this courageous Jewish convert who was killed by the Nazis at Auschwitz bears witness to something we all need to remember: “Do not accept anything as the truth if it lacks love. And do not accept anything as love which lacks truth!”

It is tempting to think that we are free to say whatever we want as longs as the facts are true. This temptation seems especially strong when we are standing up for some just cause or opposing something gravely wrong, such as abortion, euthanasia or racial prejudice. How easy it is to slip into ad hominem arguments which amount to an attack on the messenger rather than a rebuttal of the message. But the Lord asks us to love our enemies, to hate the sin but to love the sinner. Only when we speak the truth in love will the truth build up justice and overcome the injustice that lies have brought about.

Respect for the truth

While the Eighth Commandment requires that we avoid lies, it also requires us to respect the truth we hear from others. A number of factors can oblige us to refrain from sharing information, factors such as the safety of others, respect for privacy and the right to know. “No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it.” (CCC 2489)

A priest, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, is bound by the strongest sanctions of the Church never to reveal what he has learned while hearing Confessions. Not under any circumstances or pretext may a priest violate what the Church calls the “seal of confession.” The Church’s Code of Canon Law puts it this way (can. 983), “The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore, it is a crime for a confessor in any way to betray a penitent by word or in any other manner or for any reason.”

In addition to the sacred confidentiality required of a priest-confessor, many others in society, such as physicians, lawyers and public officials, are obliged to keep professional secrets. The confidential information that is shared with them must not be handed on to others without a grave and proportionate reason.

Among friends and within families, too, respect for the truth demands an appropriate reserve about what is shared with others. At times, the truth can and should be shared for the sake of the common good. But at other times, respect for privacy is the more loving thing to do and what is more in keeping with justice.

The Splendor of Truth

Why did John Paul II title his famous encyclical on Moral Theology “The Splendor of Truth”? Without a doubt, he was eager to show the close connection between truth and goodness, and between truth and beauty. The Catechism explains (CCC, 2500): “The practice of goodness is accompanied by spontaneous spiritual joy and moral beauty. Likewise, truth carries with it the joy and splendor of spiritual beauty. Truth is beautiful in itself… But truth can also find other complementary forms of human expression, above all when it is a matter of evoking what is beyond words: the depths of the human heart, the exaltations of the soul, the mystery of God.”

The Eighth Commandment holds a special place in our lives because truth has such a pivotal role in the mission of evangelization. Christ’s call to bear witness to the Kingdom of God is a call to speak the truth in love, especially the truth of the Gospel. Those who bear false witness erode the fabric of trust among people and thereby do great harm to the common good. But those who bear witness to the truth contribute to the common good; and those who bear witness to the truth about Christ and His Gospel will shine like the stars for all eternity.

The cost of always telling the truth and living the truth is not insignificant. As Saint Faustina wrote in her famous diary, “Truth wears a crown of thorns.” But precisely because it unites us with Christ in His sufferings, it also unites us with Him in his victorious Resurrection. Truthfulness has its own reward that far surpasses the cost it requires. Christ, whom St. Catherine of Siena called “Gentle Truth,” more than rewards our truthfulness with His friendship, and with His lasting peace and joy.

Copyright 2006 The Catholic Sun.