An Obligation to the Truth

— Posted by Elizabeth (September 15, 2010 at 7:48 pm)

Have you ever been in a situation when a friend shares with you the fact that they performed a less-than-honorable action? And instead of pointing out that what they did was wrong, and that they have an obligation to get right with God, you laugh it off?

Yes, that happened to me. Recently, in fact. I was merely trying to be non-judgmental, but I ended up condoning that action. I didn’t speak the truth, instead I remained silent.

In our society, silence implies consent. By saying nothing, we indicate that we have no objections. We affirm the speaker as correct, and give them permission to proceed.

Meanwhile, our culture is constantly throwing objectionable beliefs in our face. We read biased articles from the media; there are numerous social settings where we run into people who hold immoral viewpoints. Our friends get caught up in the lies. As Christians – especially as Catholics who have been confirmed – we have an obligation, like it or not, to speak the truth instead of remaining silent.

We don’t have to be confrontational. We might not be especially persuasive. Maybe we’ll feel embarrassed because the truth is unpopular. But when the truth is disrespected in our presence, we can’t let the insult pass without raising even a small objection.

When you think about it, wouldn’t we speak up in any other situation? If I was speaking to someone who dissed my family, favorite sports team, or even my favorite movie, I would most certainly challenge their statement. Very few of us would merely shrug it off.

In the big picture, the Church, morality, and our pro-life beliefs are important enough to be defended – although it should be done with compassion and respect. And while oftentimes, we will be tuned out and ignored, we have the assurance that we have done the right thing.

http://generationsforlife.org/2010/0915/speaktruth/