Truth. And the price you pay for telling the truth.
Bendigo hosts an annual Remembrance Service for the soldiers and families of the infamous Sandakan Death March in March each year, and a luncheon around the 15th of August. Today’s gathering raised, once again, the question of truth and the seemingly cover up of those tragic events some 77 years ago.
What price, truth?
And what price, failure to tell the truth!
I wonder how hard it must have been for Jesus to speak the words put in his mouth in today’s Gospel. He was, after all, “the way, the truth and the life”.
In speaking the truth, he knew not only from his recent experiences, but in his very self, that the truth demands decisions…some will agree and others, not. He faced this reality even with his own chosen friends.
Bible history is full of truth being spoken by the Prophets and once spoken, many ended up in the mud at the bottom of the well, left to perish.
Parents face the same dilemma daily. So too, teachers, so too, the modern prophets, so too, us!
Given our precious gift of free will, we are all called to make that famed decision for “Jesus and his truth.” It is not easy.
Jeremiah had to battle “the king’s leading enemy (men)” to bring truth to King Zedekiah, not very dissimilar to many situations in Myanmar, Russia, China and even in our own courtrooms at home.
Choosing Jesus has never been a popular decision, for it proclaims a belief system that contradicts the ambition of worldly people. We see it actively happening in public life today. We are entering a period which may replicate the trials and tribulations of the early Christians.
Let us then draw strength from the example of Jesus.
We must keep proclaiming the truth.
We must continue to gather in small groups that will help us discern the truth and assist us to act.
We must continue to be strengthened by celebrating the Eucharist and welcoming the Bread from Heaven
We know that like the people of old we will be drawn from the deadly pit, from the miry clay and with a new song in our mouths have our feet set upon a rock.
We will not give up because “everybody’s doing it”.
We will not give up for lack of courage.
We will continue to remove all the blinkers that prevent us from recognising Jesus and his way of truth.
Mons Frank