Wednesday of the
Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
(Galatians 2:1-2.7-14; Luke 11:1-14)
Pope John Paul II, who is legitimately called “the
Great,” received his doctorate degree from the University of St. Thomas in
Rome. One of his professors, an elderly
Dominican priest whom the pope credited as having special influence on him, was
once asked how he remembered the future pope.
The old man confessed that he had so many students over the decades he
taught at the university that he could not remember him. His candor has been cited as an example of genuine
honesty.
St. Paul writes of a situation in which he was called to
respond with equal honesty. He saw Peter
eating what was probably pork with the non-Jews of the Christian community in
Antioch. But as soon as Jewish officials
from Jerusalem arrived, Peter separated himself from the ham eaters. In order not to confuse non-Jewish
Christians, Paul reprimanded Peter for what he calls in today’s reading from Galatians
“hypocrisy.”
Too often we try to please others by disregarding the
truth. It is not easy to tell a friend
that he is doing something sinful or to speak up when an official equivocates
about what is happening in one’s firm.
Yet there is an obligation to do so when such action results in serious harm. Paul is not afraid of being honest because he
knows that Christ is with him. He is
with us as well. After thoughtful,
prayerful reflection we should not remain silent when we see people being hurt
by another’s lies.
