WHY DOES THE TRUTH GENERATE HATRED? (HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 17TH WEEK IN THE ORDINARY TIME

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WHY DOES THE TRUTH GENERATE HATRED?

Jeremiah 26:11-16.24; Matthew 14:1-12

It is popularly said that 'no one is so much hated than the one who speaks the truth. The truth, the sages will say is always bitter and whoever stands up for the truth should be ready to stand alone. Consequently, the question is why does the truth generate so much hatred?

In the first reading from the book of prophet Jeremiah, we hear of the attempted mobilization by the officials of the temple to condemn and arrest the Prophet Jeremiah simply because he spoke in defence of the truth against the misdeeds within the Temple of Jerusalem, while he reached the word of God. He declared, “In truth, the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears” (Jer 26:15).

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, the destiny of every witness to the truth is that he/she is always mocked, hated, despised,  ridiculed, disparaged, derided, laughed at, accused of lack of understanding, narrow-minded, old-fashion, unpopular, etc. All these necessitate why people rarely reckon with the truth and its propagator.

St. Augustine in acknowledgement of the question: why does the truth generate hatred? He said, “In reality, the love of truth is such that those who live different objects pretend that the object of their love is the truth; and since they detest being deceived, they fastest being convinced that they are deceiving themselves. Thus, they hate the truth for the love of what they believe to be the truth. They love it when it shines, they hate it when it reproves”.

The Gospel reading records the beheading of John the Baptist, a witness, propagator and defender of the truth. John the Baptist suffered so much hatred and persecution simply because he stood up for the truth. Scripture has it that John was arrested by Herod because he reproved Herod publicly for divorcing his first wife and unlawfully taking his sister-in-law (his brother Philip's wife) as his second wife Herodias (Matt 14:3). On Herod's birthday, we are told that the daughter of Herodias danced and delighted king Herod who promised to give her whatever she asks (Mt 14:6-7) and of which she through the consent of the mother, she demanded the head of John the Baptist on a dish. What a hatred for the truth!

Beloved in Christ, in the face of rejection, mockery and persecution, how tenaciously do we hold on to the truth and profess it? Do we witness to the truth against all odds, knowing that only the truth can nurture our consciences aright? Let's remember that whoever promotes the truth professes Christ Jesus who said I am the way, the truth and the life. 

May God continue to make ministers of the truth before all

Have a wonderful day!

Fr Remi osj



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