Speaking Truthfully

Not only persistent prayer, but persistent dedication to truth and justice and faith that these might prevail with God's help are required of Christians. This is illustrated by the widow’s relentless demand for justice from the unjust judge. It challenges believers to stand up against injustice, hold truth accountable, and pursue communal truth-seeking, rooted in scripture. Faithfulness and courage are essential when confronting power and injustice in society.

This reflection contrasts truth used as political instrument with truth that liberates the soul. Politicians often curate facts to persuade and gain power; by contrast, the Gospel’s “truth will set you free” describes truths that reshape identity. Using the healed leper as an example, the talk shows how genuine gratitude—especially directed to God—reveals our dependence, exposes entitlement, and transforms how we see ourselves and others. Cultivating gratitude turns gifts into formative experiences, teaching us to speak and live truthfully rather than treat people as means to power. [28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C]

This reflection by Megan McElroy, OP explores the need for modern prophets who speak truth to power and challenge complacency. Drawing from scripture and figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Dorothy Day, McElroy suggests we must each examine whether we're called to be prophets today. True prophets are discerned through their fruits—love, peace, and justice—and their willingness to speak difficult truths despite personal cost.

What can we do about violence against migrants? Out of his experience of walking alongside migrants in the Chicago area and witnessing their plight, Fr. Brendan Curran challenges us to see the violence in our communities and become speakers of truth, inspired by Habakkuk and Pope Leo. For the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C.

This essay, taken with permission from the book Let's Talk About Truth (Ave Maria Press, 2020) examines truthfulness in communication, distinguishing between having a mind aligned with reality and having words aligned with one's thoughts. Drawing on Thomas Aquinas, it argues that truthful communication is essential for community and communion, requiring alignment between inner thoughts and spoken words. The author, Ann Garrido, explores the balance between sharing appropriately (neither too much nor too little) and communicating with charity. Key topics include when lying might be justifiable, the problem of hypocrisy as misalignment between words and actions, and the Christian obligation to advocate for truthfulness in society. The essay emphasizes that truthful communication, guided by justice and love, enables genuine relationship-building and societal functioning.

This sermon uses Jesus's healing command "ephphatha" (be open) to explore truthful speech. Drawing on Greek concept "parrhesia" - frank, dangerous truth-telling to power - the preacher connects this to Jesus and Paul as truth-tellers. Addressing Catholic Church abuse scandals, the sermon calls for becoming a "confessing church" rather than secret-keeping, emphasizing collective responsibility for institutional sins and the need for public penance, transparency, and authentic truth-telling as Christian duty.

Using Luke's account of Jesus reading Isaiah, the preacher examines how Jesus omitted vengeance from his message, disappointing crowds who expected violent revolution. This connects to modern political rhetoric, emphasizing integrity between words and actions while serving the common good rather than echoing anger. The sermon concludes with Ukrainian translator Natalia Dmitruk's act of defiance during fraudulent elections, illustrating how truthful voices can inspire justice movements and embody gospel values.

This sermon explores the prevalence of lying in daily life and contrasts it with Jesus's embodiment of truth before Pilate. Fr. Foley argues that like Pilate, we often "wash our hands" of inconvenient truths. He calls Christians to live authentic truth through love of neighbor, even when costly.

This philosophical reflection argues that truth remains a fundamental value across cultures and throughout history. Drawing from Greek philosophy, Roman thought, and Christian theology, the author contends that truth is essential for meaningful relationships, just society, and spiritual life. The piece warns against "post-truth" attitudes that undermine moral and civil order.

This article by Annelise Jolley, published by the John Templeton Foundation, explores "magnanimous humility"—a virtue where knowledgeable people choose not to exercise their intellectual superiority, instead lowering their status to engage humbly with those who hold different truths. Unlike self-accepting humility (acknowledging limits), magnanimous humility maintains convictions while fostering genuine dialogue through generous listening and understanding others' perspectives as "true, good, and beautiful."