1 Samuel 16;1.6-7.10-13; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41
Do you remember how Jesus once said to his disciple Thomas: I am the way, the truth and the life? The truth‼ – Jesus is claiming to be the truth. Wow! No other person has ever seriously made that claim. Jesus is the truth. Do you believe that? I do!
But note carefully, he does not say that he is the facts. The facts are not the truth, even when the facts are true. Facts can change, truth cannot. The world can be flat for a couple of thousand years and then, suddenly, it's round. Facts change. They say that every ten years, a huge percentage of facts, something like 70%, are overtaken by new facts. But the truth never changes.
In the gospel we see disciples, the blind man, the parents of the man, the man's neighbours, the Pharisees (also called the Jews), all busy sorting through the facts.
Fact 1: The man had been born blind. Why? A sin of his parents? No, so that God's glory might be displayed.
Fact 2: The man is healed by Jesus. How? He applied a paste and told him to wash in the pool. He obeyed and was cured.
His neighbours are divided about his identity: Isn't this the man? – Yes, it is – No, he only looks like him.The man says: I am the man.
They take him to the Pharisees who also sort through the facts. They are not interested in man himself but in whether the cure happened or not – and the identity of the man who would dare to cure him on the Sabbath. They, too, sift through the facts while at the same time very stubbornly, almost comically, resisting the truth.
Of course the truth is found but not by sifting through the facts. Jesus has told us: I am the truth and it is the man who finds him, not by investigating facts by faith: The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.
In a short while we will witness the spectacle of another man struggling with the truth who stands before him accused by the Jews. This man is the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. He knows Jesus has been falsely accused and handed over to him out of jealousy. And because he clearly knows Jesus is innocent he also clearly knows he has the protection of the law. Even as the Jews shout 'Crucify him!' – Pilate is in no doubt he should let him go – but he doesn't. On the altar of self-interest Pilate sacrifices the truth, who stands there like a lamb – as the truth often does – not opening its mouth.
Pope Benedict offers us another example in his book 'A New Song For The Lord' [page 212]. It is the example of Thomas More. How natural it appeared to concede supremacy over the Church to the king! There was no explicit dogma that clearly forbade this. All the bishops had already done it – why should he, the layman, risk his life and cast his family into ruin? Even if he did not want to save his own neck, ought he not, when considering the hierarchy of values, at least give his family priority over his stubborn insistence on his conscience?
And what about us?
Lots of people say that, so why shouldn't I as well? Why should I disturb the peace of the group? Why should I make a fool of myself? Isn't the peace of the community more important than my know-it-all attitude? As a result, group conformity (I call it groupthink) turns into a tyranny opposing the truth.
To stand up to this tyranny one must have a passionfor the truth. If we don't have this passion for Jesus we will have it for something or someone else and that is generally – ourselves. Then we will do everything we can to see that the love which should be directed to the truth is directed to ourselves and we develop a great need to be loved. But, as Georges Bernanos said: No one is less lovable than the one who only lives to be loved.
I cannot end this reflection without pointing out that we cannot deny the truth without denying ourselves. Each time we give in to the temptation to surrender the truth to a momentary advantage we become more alienated from our inner selves and cast adrift on a sea of need for affirmation. We become the group and lose that freedom and light which constitutes our God-given dignity.
As St Paul says: You were darkness once, but now you are light in the Lord; be like children of light, for the effects of the light are seen in complete goodness and right living and truth.
