By Melanie Rigney

 

 

“But those who do what is true come to the light,
so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.” ~ John 3:12

 

I hate conflict. I am always tempted to change the topic or back away when conversations turn to hot buttons like gender identity, abortion, and immigration. I recently ghosted a longtime friend whose rants about the hypocrisy of organized religion finally became too much to bear.

But that is not doing what is true.

Sometimes, the Truth Hurts

Doing what is true means putting on our spiritual armor and evangelizing in words and actions. It means stepping up in those conversations—gently and with love. It means putting our time, treasure, and souls into action, helping those who society would prefer to forget about.
When we attempt to emulate Jesus and do what is true, we will offend people, even when we do it with love. Unfortunately, we live in a world that values relativism, that there is no absolute truth regarding the sanctity of life in all stages, the sanctity of marriage, and the sanctity of the very bodies given to us at birth. The views of the most learned scholar and your middle-school child or grandchild are equally valuable to those who worship relativism’s altar.

The Best Defense

As Catholic Christians, we find absolute truth in Church teachings and scripture. And the truth demands to be defended and spoken—not kept in a little box to be shared only with like-minded friends.
Yes, sometimes doing what is true hurts. Sometimes it kills us. But living it takes us to the light—and that sweet light leads us to the Lord’s altar and the promise of salvation.

 

Prayer

Jesus, I am weak. Please hold my hand as I share the truth in my words and actions.

Call to Action

Don’t just ghost that friend whose views contradict absolute truth—attempt to have a discussion where you speak up with love.

 

© 2023 WINE — All Rights Reserved