Trapped in one’s own trap

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

          IN the Bible, there are a number of passages that talk about

how some people, usually the wicked and evil ones, fall into their own

snare that were supposed to be made for the others.

          For example, in the Book of Psalms, we have the following

passages: “Let the wicked fall into their own nets…” (141,10) “I did

nothing wrong, but they tried to trap me. For no reason at all, they

dug a pit to catch me. So let them fall into their own traps. Let them

stumble into their own nets.” (35,7) “They have dug a pitfall in my

path. But look! They themselves have fallen into it!” (57,6)

          This was also what happened when the chief priests and some

elders of the people tried to trick Christ by asking him about the

authority he had for doing what he was doing. (cfr. Mt 21,23-27)

          As the gospel narrated, Christ, of course, outsmarted them

and asked them a question that they themselves could not answer, since

any answer they would give would put them on the spot.

          We have to be most wary of any temptation to trick God by

playing around with the truth. We just have to be very truthful even

if we may have to suffer because of it, since by resorting to some

trickery, we would just expose ourselves to greater shame sooner or

later.

          In this regard, St. Augustine once said, “They love truth

when it enlightens them, but hate when it accuses them. In this

attitude of reluctance to be deceived and intent to deceive others

they love truth when it reveals itself but hate it when it reveals

them. Truth will therefore take its revenge: when people refuse to be

shown up by it, truth will show them up willy-nilly and yet elude

them.”

          We should therefore be most truthful, knowing how to grow in

that virtue of truthfulness especially these days when things can get

very complicated. In this we need to understand that truthfulness can

only start with our proper relationship with God. Other than that, our

truthfulness, even in what we may consider as its best form, would

always be suspect and vulnerable to elements that undermine the truth.

          In short, we can only be truthful and sincere when we are

with God who revealed himself in fullness insofar as we are concerned

in his Son who became man, Jesus Christ.

          Thus, Christ clearly said that he is “the way, the truth,

and the life. No one goes to the Father except through him.” In other

words, we can only be truthful through him. We can only find the

proper way for whatever is good for us through him. We can only have

the real life, proper to us, in him.

          Christ said it very clearly. “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and

your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.” (Mt 5,37)

          Truthfulness therefore starts with our relationship with

God, and with how well we maintain that relationship. This is

something we have to realize more deeply, since very often we get

contented with mere human criteria for truthfulness, that are often

subjective, incomplete, imperfect, and vulnerable to be maneuvered and

manipulated.

          When we are not with God, then we can very easily play

around with the facts and data, and pass them around as truth, but

serving some self-interest instead of the common good, for example.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE),Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com