Reflections
The truth in charity always
That's the advice of St. Paul. It's found in his Letter to the Ephesians: "Doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in him who is the head, even Christ." (4,15).
We may immediately interpret that advice as the truth should always be packaged in charity. That's good enough. But some saints have gone further, understanding it as truth being equated with charity, and vice-versa.
In other words, truth would not be truth if it is not given in charity. Charity neither would be charity if it is not in the truth. The distinction we make of the two corresponds to the limitations of our human way of understanding things.
Ultimately and ideally, truth and charity should always be together. They are inseparable. One should not go without the other. But because of our limitations, worsened by our sin, we can separate them. And what a mess we make!
It's good to remember the reason or the context of this Pauline indication. It is for us to grow up in our identification with Christ. The corresponding text is the following:
"He (Christ) gave some apostles, and some prophets, and others evangelists, and others pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
"Until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ, "That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive." (Eph 4,11-14)
In other words, it is when truth goes together always with charity that we grow unto our perfect manhood, according to the measure of the fullness of Christ.
I wonder how this Pauline indication is known, appreciated and lived by us. We can look around, and I'm afraid that what we can certainly and readily see are cases, an abundance of them, where this advice is violated.
This is especially true when we consider the media. There words burst in rampaging floods. Whether they carry the truth or they are given in charity or they carry both truth and charity is the least of their concern, it seems.
Hiding behind the right of expression, many writers just emit all sorts of views and opinions. And they have the nasty tendency of converting their opinions into gospel truths.
This can go to such an extent that opinions become philosophies and ideologies, and the latter tend to replace faith itself. The world eventually rejects anything spiritual and supernatural. Only when things are empirical and rational can they be considered as real.
In short, reality is then understood as only what can be sensed or thought out, completely dependent on man's capacity to relate himself to them. It has ceased to be something to be discovered, given by Someone. It's becomes man-made, not God-created.
Our propensity to use words and to express ideas should always spring from an increasingly intimate appreciation of this Pauline indication about truth and charity going together always.
This can be achieved when together with our interest to know and convey the truths, we practice prudence and discretion so that these truths are spread with due respect for person and for the common good.
When truths are just indiscriminatingly spread out, merely following the logic of popularity, sensationalism, economic advantage, etc., then we would be committing a grave mistake.
We cannot help but spoil the atmosphere and community life. Great care should be exerted to see to it that our opinions on politics and publicity efforts on products and movies, etc., are done in truth and charity.
This will make our life and society more human, contributing greatly to everyone's effort to develop a truly spiritual and supernatural life, a life with God, and not just a life among ourselves.
Let's never forget that life without God automatically turns us into animals.
(Fr. Cimagala is the Chaplain of Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City. Email: roycimagala@hotmail.com)