The first reading today is from the Prophet Jeremiah who was among the last prophets who proclaimed the Word of God to the people of Jerusalem immediately before the city was conquered by Babylon and its residents taken into captivity. Jeremiah had the unenviable task for calling people to make significant changes in their lives lest God allow their enemies to conquer them. It does not take too much imagination to see how unpopular Jeremiah was. “And so, let us destroy him by his own tongue; let us carefully note his every word.”
Note that they did express any intent to lie about him. They thought if they “gave him enough rope he would hang himself.” At his point it is hard to make a case that they intend to bear false witness about him.
I suspect each one of us here this morning have been in situations where we thought we might use someone’s words against them – and if not against them – to make something clear about the person.
In Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, we are told “put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth…putting away falsehood.” (Eph 4:24-25) We are further advise to “rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander.” (1 Peter 2:1)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (para. 2478) suggests “To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way.” I am pretty sure the people of Jerusalem have other plans. As Christians, that is good advice for us too.
The Catechism goes on to talk about other than lies/perjury. That we as Christians are charged to have respect for the reputation of others and are to avoid every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. This would include when a person who:
- even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor – this is the sin of rash judgment;
- without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them – the sin of detraction; and
- by remarks harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them – the sin of calumny.
Detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor of one’s neighbor and are an attack on human dignity. Everyone enjoys a natural right to the honor of his name and reputation and to respect. Detraction and calumny are offenses against the virtues of justice and charity.
The people of Jerusalem were never going to give Jerimiah’s word a favorable judgment. But if we hold ourselves to be followers of Jesus, let us interpret our neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way.
Image credit: Felicity Tai, Pexels (pexels-felicity-tai-7964353) CC