Truth and consequence

THE STORY is told about a newlywed couple who lived a blissful life together. The husband would go to work each morning, and when he came home from work, their dog would come out barking and the wife would come out right away to welcome him and bring his slippers. After some years of marriage, the husband still went to work, and when he came home from work, the wife would come out barking and their dog would bring the slippers!

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In today's Gospel (Lk. 4, 21-30) Jesus went back to His hometown and was welcomed by his town mates. All agreed with Him and all were amazed at His wisdom. However, they began to bark at Him when He started to disturb their comfortable, clannish and exclusive zones. But, Jesus went on and spoke His truth anyway. He said what had to be said, and He did not care who got hurt in the process, even if that meant Him getting hurt. For Jesus, truth was not something to hide, use, abuse or manipulate. For Jesus, truth was non-negotiable. Truth was not relative to His fame or shame. Look at truth being tossed around and beaten up these days. And look at all the liars all around us. Everybody knows they are lying, yet they get away with it. Lying is the easy way out, but Jesus teaches us today that being truthful is the only way to go into God's heart.

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Today, let us all ask God for forgiveness for our lies, pretenses and manipulations, especially for those times we justified these for the sake of survival, and even in God's name. Let us ask God to forgive us for the times we lied and convinced ourselves that it was all right. The tragedy is not in the lying but in the perpetuation of the lying, and comforting ourselves with the thought that it's okay, and it's all right.

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When was the last time you spoke out your truth? When was the last time you were left out or persecuted because you said what had to be said? When was the last time you "rocked the boat"? If you never experienced persecution or criticism from others, maybe it is because you never have taken the road of a prophet, for the simple reason that you are treading the comfortable and easy road of profit.

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Don't we all consciously or unconsciously look down and deride people who are not of our own kind? Don't we all fall into the sin of pride when we consider ourselves better and more worthy than others? And don't we all entertain the thought that some people, coming from some group or some place, cannot possibly become like us, simply because they are not one of us and are definitely not at par with our standards?

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There is a story about a fox that lured a chicken to share its feathers in exchange for a worm. The chicken thought this was a good idea, an easy way to get a worm. For every feather, a worm. Great! But after a while, the chicken could no longer fly because it had no more feathers left and the fox simply jumped in, caught and ate it. The same thing happens when we exchange our values, beliefs, truths and principals for worldly honor, riches and power. With elections just around the corner, watch out! It is a time when foxes and featherless chickens abound.

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There is a final reckoning for everything. I realized this in a very special way when I had to rush to our hometown Bani, Pangasinan last Monday to be with Mama who was going into a diabetic coma. I, my brothers and sisters dropped everything to be with her. Death is the great opener of truth. Our real selves and our deepest feelings come out when we come face to face with death. We don't have to wait for that final moment before we bring out our true selves.

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It was some kind of a reunion for us as we traveled together to be with Mama. There were many realizations and many revelations. It can happen that in our busy lives we tend to forget and take for granted what and who are really important in our existence. The prospect of losing Mama was painful. But, with all humility I can say that I had no regrets because I have done my very best. Yes, we all must live in such a way that when our last moments or their last moments come, we will have no regrets that we loved too little, too late.

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God is good and God is a God of surprises. When we arrived, Mama was up and about and she even prepared a delicious meal for all of us! She was okay. And she was so happy that we all had come home for her. The Lord turned our tears and fears into laughter and our previous anxiety into joy. Looking back, I think Mama made us get in touch with our real selves and come home to our deepest truths once again with her "exit rehearsal."

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Last January 29 was the first Feast Day of Joseph Freinademetz as a saint. He was our first Divine Word missionary to China where he preached the truth and the good news. To the very end, he told his truth quietly, clearly and joyfully. May we continue to radiate God's truth and love.

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A moment with the Lord

Lord, help me to be truthful even if it is painful and even if it is not "fruitful." Amen.