Jesus was casting out a devil that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke and the people marveled (Luke 11:14; Matt 9:32-33).
Sickness, a physical evil that normally bears no relation to sin, can be a symbol of the state that a sinful man finds himself in; he is spiritually blind, deaf, paralyzed. As well as being actual historical physical events, the cures that Jesus brings about are also symbolic: they represent the spiritual healing that He comes to effect in men’s lives. Often in the way Jesus acts towards the sick He is giving us an image of the sacraments.
St John Chrysostom says about the Gospel passage from to-day’s Mass that this man was unable to present his request himself, because he was dumb; he was unable to ask others to do it either, because the devil had tied his tongue, and together with his tongue he had bound up his soul(St John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospels, 32, 1) The devil had him well and truly trussed up.
If we do not talk to Our Lord in our prayer about our wretchedness, and beg him to rid us of it; if we do not lay bare that wretchedness of ours in spiritual direction; if we keep silent because pride has sealed our lips, the sickness becomes practically incurable. Usually, if we do not talk about the way our soul is suffering, we also fail to listen; the soul becomes deaf to God’s requests, we reject the argument and reason that could be the one clear light that will help us to return to the right road. On the other hand, it will be easy for us to open our hearts sincerely if we try to accept this advice: … don’t be frightened when you become aware of the burden of your poor body and of human passions. It would be silly and childishly naive to find out now that ‘this’ exists. Your wretchedness is not an obstacle, but a spur for you to become more closely united to God and to seek him constantly, because He purifies us (J. Escrivá, Furrow, 134).
As the Psalm says: O that to-day you would hear his voice! Harden not your hearts! (Ps 94). Let us make a resolution never to resist grace, and to be always very sincere.
Sincerity, first of all with ourselves. Sincerity with God. Sincerity in spiritual direction and in Confession. Means of acquiring this virtue.
In order to live a life which is truly human, we must have a great love for the truth, which in a way is something that is sacred and must be treated with respect and love. The truth is sometimes so obscured by sin, by our passions and by a spirit of materialism, that if we did not live it we could never come to discern it. it is so easy to accept a lie when it comes to the aid of our laziness, flatters our vanity or our sensuality, or encourages in us a false sense of prestige! Sometimes the cause of insincerity is vainglory, pride, or even a fear of looking foolish.
Our Lord lived this virtue so much that he declared of himself, I am the Truth (5. John 14:6). The devil, He said, is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Everything the devil promises is false. Jesus will ask the Father for us, for his own, that we may be sanctified in the truth (cf John 17, 17 et seq).
There is a great deal of talk to-day about sincerity, authenticity and so on, but despite it people tend to hide themselves in anonymity and often disguise the true motives for their actions and conceal them from themselves and from others. They also try to remain anonymous before God, and flee from any personal encounter with him in prayer and in their examination of conscience. Nevertheless we will not be good Christians if we are not sincere with ourselves, with God and with other people. We men are sometimes afraid of the truth because it is demanding and inexorable. Sometimes the temptation may come to us to resort to pretense, to a small deception, to a half-truth or even a lie. On other occasions we may feel tempted to give another name to facts or to things so as not to upset people by telling the truth as it is.
Sincerity is a Christian virtue of the highest order; we could not be good Christians if we did not live it with all its consequences. Sincerity with ourselves leads us to acknowledge our faults without any pretense and without seeking false excuses. Sincerity puts us on our guard against ‘fabricating’ the truth, or pretending that what suits us is true, like those who try to deceive themselves by saying that ‘for them’ something forbidden by God’s law is not a sin. Subjectivity, our passions, lukewarmness, can all contribute towards our not being sincere with ourselves. The person who does not live this radical sincerity easily deforms his conscience and falls victim to interior blindness as regards the things of God.
Another common way of deceiving oneself is to be reluctant to accept the consequences of truth so as not to have to face up to them, or in such a case not to say the whole truth:
You never want to get to the heart of the matter. Sometimes, through politeness. Other times, most times, through fear of hurting yourself Sometimes again, through fear of hurting others. And always, through fear! As long as you are so afraid of the truth you will never be a man of sound judgement a man of worth ( St. Josemaria. Escrivá, The Way, 33).
The means that we first have to use in order to be sin ere is prayer. Ask Our Lord to let us see our errors, the defects of our character … ask him for strength to acknowledge them as such, and for the courage to ask his help in the inevitable struggle. Secondly, we have the daily examination of conscience, short but effective, by means of which we get to know ourselves. Next comes spiritual direction and Confession, really opening our souls, telling the whole truth disclosing our innermost thoughts, so that those who direct us can help us on our way towards God. Do not let even the smallest focal point of corruption take root in your souls, no matter how tiny it may be. Speak out. When water flows, it stays clean; blocked up, it becomes a stagnant pool full of repugnant filth. What was once thinking water becomes a breeding ground for insects (idem, Friends of God, 181). We will often find it helps us to be sincere if we say what we find most difficult first.
If with the help of grace we reject the ‘tongue-tied’ devil, we will find that one of the immediate fruits of sincerity is joy and peace in our souls. This is why we ask God for this virtue for ourselves, and for others as well.
The word of a Christian. Loyalty and faithfulness – virtues related to truthfulness. Other consequences of love for the truth.
Sincerity with God, with ourselves and with other people … if we are not sincere with God we cannot love him or serve him. If we are not sincere with ourselves we cannot have a well-formed conscience which loves good and shuns evil. If we are not sincere with other people it becomes impossible for us in any meaningful way to relate to them, and we do not please God.
The people around us have to know that we are truthful, that we never tell lies or ever practice deceit. Our word as Christians and honourable men and women has to be held in respect by others. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from the devil (Matt 5:37). God wants to make the word of the person of good will, who is prepared to stand by what he says, stand out. The truth manifested in our dealings with others should also be a reflection of our relationship with God.
Love for truth will lead us to seek to put things right if we have blundered: You must become accustomed never to tell a deliberate lie, whether to excuse yourself or for some other purpose, remembering always that God is the ‘God of Truth’ If you happen to tell a lie inadvertently, correct it immediately by an explanation, or by making appropriate amends. An honest explanation always has more grace and force to excuse us than a lie has (St Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, III:30).
Another virtue closely related to truthfulness and sincerity is loyalty, which is truthfulness in one’s behaviour. It means keeping one’s word, one’s promises, one’s agreements. Our friends and acquaintances have to know us as men and women who are loyal. Faithfulness is loyalty to a strict commitment contracted with God or before God. Jesus is called Faithful and True (Rev 19:11). Holy Scripture constantly speaks of God as the one who is faithful to his covenant with his people, the one who faithfully fulfils the plan of salvation that He has promised (cf Rom 3:7).
Unfaithfulness is always false. Faithfulness, however, is an indispensable virtue in both one’s private and social life. It is on faithfulness that marriage, the fulfilment of contracts, the ways in which governments act, etc., rely.
Love for the truth will lead us not to form hasty judgements, based on superficial information about people or events. We need to exercise a healthy critical spirit towards the news broadcast by radio, television, newspapers or magazines, for it is often biased or simply incomplete. Often objective facts are wrapped in opinions or interpretations that can give a deformed view of the reality. We have to be especially careful about news refer ring directly or indirectly to the Church. For love of truth itself we have to leave aside the sectarian channels of information which do nothing but muddy the waters. We have to look for information that is objective, true and discerning. At the same time we have to contribute towards giving others correct information. Then the promise of Jesus will become a reality, the truth will make you free (John 8:32).
By Francisco Fernandez, In Conversation with God, New York, Scepter, 1990, Volume 2, pp. 139-144
Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
