Video Transcript
Edmund: One of the most interesting and complex questions asked in all of Scripture is: What is truth?
Emily: That question comes from Jesus’ trial before Pilate, who asks Jesus if He’s a king. Jesus says, “I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,” and Pilate replies, “What is truth?”
Edmund: Pilate was in a tough spot; pressured by the religious leaders and crowds to declare Jesus guilty, even though he had found no fault in Him. They made it clear that not condemning Jesus would be betraying Caesar and Rome.
Emily: So, Pilate could declare Jesus guilty and sentence an innocent man to death, or declare Jesus innocent and face the crowd’s and the leaders’ wrath. Pilate tries to compromise by offering to pardon a prisoner or scourging Jesus instead of killing Him.
Edmund: Ultimately, Pilate sentenced Jesus to death and tried to wash his hands of the responsibility, after questioning the nature of truth itself.
Emily: In the Eighth Commandment, God reveals that bearing false witness, or lying, is a grave sin. In contrast, Jesus says He comes to “bear witness” or “testify” to the truth. All truth comes from God Himself. God is always true and can only speak truth. Jesus is God’s true word made flesh. When we lie, we are giving false witness, or false testimony, to the truth.
Edmund: This is one of the most destructive sins to commit, because it’s an offense against truth and reality itself. Not only does our relationship with God depend on us being truthful with Him, the source of all Truth, but our relationships with others can’t survive if they aren’t built on truth. Even our proper understanding of ourselves and of reality depends on us knowing the truth and being honest with ourselves.
Emily: Scripture tells us in the book of Wisdom (Wisdom 1:11) that “A lying mouth destroys the soul.” God, who is Truth, made our minds to know truth. He gave us the gift of speech so that we are capable of communicating truth to others. We can live together as God intended, in a life of communion and love, only to the degree that we can trust one another to be truthful.
Edmund: God is Truth, the source and fullness of all truth. His Word is true, and He wills the truth. Jesus is the revelation of the fullness of truth God wants us to know. The Catholic Church communicates the fullness of God’s revelation to us. We can trust that this revelation is true.
Emily: The Catechism says in paragraph 2466 that “The disciple of Jesus continues in His word so as to know ‘the truth [that] will make you free’ and that sanctifies. To follow Jesus is to live in ‘the Spirit of truth’, whom the Father sends in His name and who leads ‘Into all the truth.’” If we want to be disciples of Jesus, we must strive to conform our lives and words to the truth. In this way, we become more like Jesus.
Edmund: And the Catechism reminds us that martyrdom is the supreme witness to the truth. The martyr is willing to endure death before denying the truth of Jesus. Unlike Pilate…
Emily: Or even St. Peter during Jesus’ trial! Remember, he denied knowing Jesus three times to avoid being associated with Him.
Edmund: Lying is the most direct offense against the truth. It does not conform with the greatness to which we are called.
Emily: But what about little “white lies”? Or lying about things we don’t think are that big of a deal?
Edmund: Lying in little things to avoid discomfort or negative consequences causes us to miss the opportunity to practice choosing truth. This makes it more difficult to speak the truth when bigger consequences are on the line. But we can also act contrary to the truth by being disrespectful to the reputation of others through rash judgment, calumny, gossip, or slander.
Emily: We can also hurt another person’s reputation by sharing true things about them to people who do NOT have a right to know those things. In this way, while we may not be lying, we are bearing false witness against our neighbor, who has a right to her own good name.
Edmund: We can also sin against this Commandment when we lie to mislead others, or use boasting and flattery to mislead others. And perjury—or lying under oath—is particularly grave, because of the serious nature of invoking God’s name while lying.
Emily: So, what is truth? God is Truth, and He sent Jesus — the Way, the Truth, and the Life — to reveal all truth. We should ask God for grace, and practice the discipline of telling the truth, even when it hurts or is difficult for us. Because God, who is Truth, made us for the truth and to be in relationships built upon trust.
