Faithful are bound by Commandments to ‘live’ truth

Article 165 - Catechism of the Catholic Church Series

Paragraphs 2464-2487

When was the last time you spoke ill of another? Perhaps in frustration? Perhaps in anger? Perhaps due to jealousy? Maybe even envy? Those of us who have experienced a moment like that have broken the Eighth Commandment.

How about testifying under oath? Have you ever had to testify, perhaps on your own behalf or as a witness for someone else? Depending on the circumstances, this can be a grueling experience, not only because we are compelled to speak the truth, but because we, as Catholics, are bound by this Commandment to live the truth. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our motivation is different from that of non-Christians. The Catechism says it this way: “The disciple of Christ consents to ‘live in the truth,’ that is, in the simplicity of a life in conformity with the Lord’s example, abiding in his truth” (ccc 2470). There is no “wiggle” room. As members of the Body of Christ we are bound to follow the example of Christ who is truth-personified!

The Eighth Commandment, “you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20), challenges us in a most particular way because it encompasses all our interaction with others. The great St. Thomas Aquinas once said: “We could not live with one another if there were not mutual confidence that we were being truthful to one another” (Summa Theologiea II-II 109, 3). In our present culture, we have lost this “mutual confidence.” However, God’s Commandment still “forbids [us from] misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others” (ccc. 2464) because our vocation as God’s holy people is “to bear witness to…God who is the truth and wills the truth” (ccc 2464).

The Old Testament affirms: “God is the source of all truth. His Word is truth” (ccc 2465). In the New Testament, we learn that in Jesus Christ, the whole of God’s Truth has been made manifest. “‘Full of grace and truth,’ he came as the ‘light of the world,’ he is the Truth” (ccc 2466). Those who follow Jesus Christ agree “to live in the truth, that is, in the simplicity of a life in conformity with the Lord’s example, abiding in his truth” (ccc 2470).

In the First Letter of St. John, we are told: “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth” (1 Jn 1:6). In the Gospel of St. John, Jesus stands before Pilate and proclaims that he “has come into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (Jn 18:37). It always fascinated me that Pontius Pilate then looked into the eyes of Jesus (who IS truth personified) and asked: “What is truth?” (Jn 18:38).

Martyrdom “is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith” (ccc 2473). The Church has scrupulously recorded many testimonies of martyrdom, especially in the early Church, of those who died as witnesses to the faith. One such testimony includes that of St. Ignatius of Antioch, quoted in the Catechism: “Let me become the food of the beasts, through whom it will be given me to reach God” (ccc 2473).

The final part of this section of the Catechism outlines “Offenses Against the Truth” including:

 

■ “When it is made publicly, a statement contrary to the truth takes on a particular gravity. In court it becomes false witness. When it is under oath, it is perjury” (ccc 2476).

 

■ “Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury” (ccc 2477).

■ “Honor is the social witness given to human dignity, and everyone enjoys a natural right to the honor of his name and reputation and to respect” (ccc 2479).

■ “‘A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.’ The Lord denounces lying as the work of the devil: ‘You are of your father the devi…there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies’” (ccc 2482).

■ “If a lie in itself only constitutes a venial sin, it becomes mortal when it does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity” (ccc 2484).

■ “…the purpose of speech is to communicate known truth to others. The deliberate intention of leading a neighbor into error by saying things contrary to the truth constitutes a failure in justice and charity” (ccc 2485).

■ “Lying is destructive of society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social relationships” (ccc 2486).

■ “When it is impossible publicly to make reparation for a wrong, it must be made secretly” (ccc 2487).

All of the above seem futile when living in a society that seems to exist and promote a style of living that is contrary to the truth. Whether we consider institutions like the “traditional” news media, schools, universities and other places of learning, or people such as local or national politicians, teachers, and television personalities, almost every aspect of society seems to have turned its back on the truth.

Equally troubling is that many in our society choose to consider perspective or opinion more important than truth. Stated another way, our moral compass is broken and we have lost our way. We need only consider the many news stories we have heard and accepted as true only to be told weeks or months later, that the “true” news story previously reported is in fact not true.

Whether the themes are such as climate change, news about food or gas prices, or even COVID-19, chances are we have been told outright lies by some of the very people we depend on to tell us the truth. In this regard, all involved would have broken the Eighth Commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Father Hillier is Director, diocesan Office of Pontifical Mission Societies, the Office for Persons with Disabilities, and Censor Luborum