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
