Speak Truth to Power

These are hard words to hear from this Gospel reading today.

Households divided.

Father and son against each other.

Mother and daughter against each other.

Mother-in-law against daughter-in-law.

Division – sounds like the world of today!

So far in my lifetime, I don’t remember it being this bad! 

When did politicians stop being civil to each other?

When did debates turn into shouting matches?

When did people forget how to have a discussion without getting personal and nasty?

When I was president of the Catholic school system, there was a teacher who was often on the opposite side of an issue with me. 

But I respected him, and valued the knowledge and skills that he brought to the table –

And likewise – he respected me.

One day he said to me, “You know, Tony, if you and I agreed on everything, one of us would not be necessary!”

I valued my relationship with him because he was not afraid to tell me the truth

I think Ebed-melech was that kind of person.

He was not afraid to speak to speak the truth.

He was a foreigner – an Ethiopian.

Yet, he had the courage to speak the truth to the king – to power.

He saw what had happened to Jeremiah and said – “That’s not right.”

A lot of other people saw it – this cistern was in a public place – the punishment for Jeremiah was meant to shame him – make him a laughing stock so people would not listen to him.

Here is Ebed-melech – his name means Servant/ Slave of the King, a foreigner, not even in his own homeland and he speaks up to the king because he sees that something is wrong.

He spoke the truth to power – and based on the King Zedekiah’s reaction – I don’t think it was the first time this happened. 

Isn’t this what we teach kids in school – if you see someone being mistreated – bullied – don’t just be a bystander – say something, do something.  Even if those who are doing the bullying have more power than you – do something to help the one being bullied.

Isn’t this what we try to do in our daily lives – if we see someone being abused, threatened, in trouble in some way, aren’t supposed to do something?

When we stand up for what is right – there is division.

President James Garfield said, “The truth will set you free – but first, it will make you miserable”.

When we speak the truth to those who have a different agenda – there is division.

The world is full of evil – immoral people who actively exercise evil

And indifferent people who passively allow it.

But it cannot be that way with us – not if we take our faith seriously.

We cannot cooperate in evil and we cannot just look the other way.

Think of Saint Maximilian Kolbe who was murdered by lethal injection at Auschwitz in 1941 when he offered his life for that of the father of a family.

Think of Mother Theresa – she saw the needs – people abandoned to die alone on the streets of Calcutta – and she did something about it. 

Her actions spoke truth to power – and her life changed things.

Think about that “Cloud of Witnesses” that surrounds us – the saints – the ones who have lived their earthly life in such a way that they now enjoy the glory of God forever.

How many of them, with their lives, spoke truth to power

All of the Apostles

St. Francis,

St. Stephen,

St. Maria Goretti…

You see, power is not only political – It is personal as well.

Within our own lives, there are examples of injustice.

In are schools and workplaces there are those who are bullied.

When we see it, when we know that it is wrong, when we know the truth, we are called to do something about it.

Jesus spoke truth to power.

 When a scholar of the law asked Jesus which commandment is the greatest, Jesus said to him,^* “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength.

This is the greatest and the first commandment.

The second is like it:^* you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

That was not new – that is found in the Hebrew Scriptures in Deuteronomy, but Jesus took it further, and here’s where the division comes in.

“Love your enemy” – now that was truth.

Jesus redefined love – at the cross. 

There is no love greater than this – to lay down one’s life for another…

Jesus told Pilot – “I have come to testify to the truth.”

And he did so with his life.

Jesus brings about division not because he wants to for its own sake – like division is the desired end – not at all.

Division comes because people cannot accept the radical love that Jesus taught.

Surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us in faith,

St. Paul calls us to live the radical love of Jesus:

• To rid our lives of sin. That includes the sin of indifference, the sin of looking the other way when someone is being victimized, the sin of hating our enemy!
• To keep our eyes fixed on Jesus – He will perfect us in faith.
• Endure the opposition we face – the division – it is inevitable – but it will not defeat us.
• Press on – do not grow weary – and if when we do – come back here to be recharged

Jesus gives us his divine life in Communion, the Eucharist, so that we might go and share that life with the world.

We might not be asked to lay down our lives like the martyrs, but we are all called to live a life of love in our families, in our marriage, in our friendships, in our neighborhoods, at school, at work, here in our parish mission field

And where we see injustices, we are called to do something about it. 

In those challenging situations that we face – we must turn to Jesus to seek the truth that he teaches.

We keep our eye on him to help us live the truth.  We stand up for what is right.

Let us pray:

Merciful God,

You protected your chosen ones in the face of evil and comforted them when they were afraid.

Protect those who face evil today and help us find the strength to stand up for what is right as we pray, your kingdom come, your will be done…Amen