Why Telling the Truth is Good

As I was searching in prayer for an idea to write about this week, I asked myself if there is something God is calling to write about one or more of the Ten Commandments.  I write about the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill,” frequently in terms of abortion and assisted suicide.  I have already written some about Catholic teaching on the death penalty and how we treat people with corporal needs.  I did not sense God calling me to write this week on the Fifth Commandment. 

Less frequently I have written on the Sixth Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery.”  I did not sense God calling me to write this week on the Sixth Commandment. 

I found inspiration to write when I came to the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16, Deuteronomy 5:20, cf. Matthew 5:33. Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 2464-2513).   

We need to tell the truth.  It is good for society.  We need to be able to trust each other to tell the truth.  Sometimes we think telling “little white lies” to avoid hurting someone’s feelings is okay.  It is good to not want to hurt people’s feelings.  However, does this really require or justify “little white lies?”  Or is there a better way?  We read in paragraph 2489 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it.”  We do not need to tell everyone the whole truth.  However, it does not say it is acceptable to lie.  We need to ask God to reveal to use how to avoid hurting people’s feelings without any lying. 

The subject of “gossip” also often comes up in discussions about truth and lies.  When we find ourselves gossiping, the first two things we should ask ourselves is “do we know with certainty that is being said is true” and “is there a need to talk about it.”  If we do not know it to be true, we should refrain from sharing the information unless there is a specific need to share it.  One clear example of a reason to share the information would be indications that a person is planning an act of violence.  As to feeling a need to talk about a person, we need to ask ourselves is there a higher purpose to talking about it or are we just sharing “juicy information.”   

We may start to talk about negative actions by another person because we feel a need to vent or need advice on how to deal with the situation.  These are rooted in good intent, but there can be a fine line between needing support or advice and gossip.  We need to ask for the grace of God to keep to our good intent.  If you cannot maintain the good intent, then the best advice is to keep our mouths shut.  Why?  Remember the Golden Rule, “Do unto others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).   

Then there are politicians.  Sometimes we assume politicians lie.  We think they will say anything to get them elected.  This may be true for some politicians.  It should not be.  We need to pray that every politician is truthful while realizing there may be good reasons why they cannot tell us everything (in accord with the CCC, 2489).  This can also be true for soldiers, doctors, and lawyers (see CCC, 2491).  It is also true of the priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the seal of confession (see CCC, 2490).  For politicians, the withholding of truth must be balanced against their responsibility to “safeguard a true and just freedom of information” and that “Nothing can justify recourse to disinformation for manipulating public opinion through the media (see CCC, 2498).  We should never be like the chief priests and Sanhedrin who “kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death” (Matthew 26:59).  Their motives and willingness to use “false testimony” to get their way is sin just as it was for the two judges who were willing to provide false testimony against Susanna in yesterday’s first reading for daily Mass. 

The Catechism also speaks of how the work of the news media is “at the service of the common good” and “Society has a right to information based on truth, freedom, justice, and solidarity” (CCC, 2494, cf. 2497). 

Why, as Christians, should we tell the truth?   

In telling the truth, we bear witness to our faith in God who is truth (see CCC, 2464-2465).  As Jesus tells us, it is truth that will set us free (see John 8:32).  We can become trapped in our lies.  Truth sets us free.  God consecrates us in truth (John 17:17).   

We are bound to seek truth as children of God and truth is a virtue (CCC, 2467-2468).  As the Catechism quotes from St. Thomas Aquinas, “Men could not live with one another if there were not mutual confidence that they were truthful to one another (CCC, 2469).  

The Catechism speaks of the importance of telling the truth in a courtroom in pargraph 2476.  It speaks of the evils against truth in paragraph 2477.  Paragraph 2479 speaks of our human dignity given us the right to truth.  Paragraph 2482 shows the evil intent in lying while paragraphs 2484 and 2486 speak of the gravity seen in lying while paragraph 2487 speak of the duty to make reparation for our lies. 

We need to tell the truth.  We need to keep our promises and oaths for as Jesus says, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37).  The evil one lies.  Jesus tells the truth.  Who do you follow? 

Peace, 

Fr. Jeff