Reflect today on how willing you are to tell the hard truth

Then his disciples came up and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard what you said?" He replied in response: “Any plant that my Heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. If a blind man leads a blind man, both of them will fall into a pit. "Matthew 15: 12-14

Why were the Pharisees offended? Partly because Jesus just spoke critically about them. But it was more than that. They were also offended because Jesus did not even answer their question.

These Pharisees and scribes came to ask Jesus what was, in their minds, a very important question. They wanted to know why His disciples failed to follow the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating. But Jesus does something interesting. Instead of answering their question, he gathers a crowd and says, “Listen and understand. It is not what enters the mouth that contaminates man; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one ”(Mt 15: 10b-11). So they were offended by Jesus both because of what he said and because he did not even say it to them, but spoke it to the crowd.

The interesting thing to note is that sometimes the most charitable thing one can do will result in another being offended. We should not recklessly offend. But it seems that one of the cultural trends of our day is to avoid offending people at all costs. As a result, we dampen morality, ignore the clear teachings of faith, and make "getting along" one of the most important "virtues" we fight for.

In the passage above, it is clear that Jesus' disciples are concerned that the Pharisees were offended by Jesus. They worry and seem to want Jesus to resolve this tense situation. But Jesus clarifies his position. “Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind man. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit "(Mt 15:14).

Charity requires truth. And sometimes the truth will sting a person in the heart. Clearly this is exactly what the Pharisees need even if they cannot change, which is evident from the fact that they eventually killed Jesus. However, these truths spoken by our Lord were acts of charity and were the truth that these scribes and Pharisees needed to listen.

Reflect today on how willing you are to tell the hard truth in love when a situation calls for it. Do you have the courage you need to charitably speak an "offensive" truth that needs to be told? Or do you tend to curl up and prefer to allow people to stay in their error so as not to upset them? Courage, charity and truth must be deeply intertwined in our lives. Transform this prayer and mission of yours in order to better imitate our divine Lord.

Lord, please give me courage, truth, wisdom and charity so that I can be a better tool than your love and mercy for the world. May I never allow fear to control me. Please remove any blindness from my heart so that I can clearly see the many ways you wish to use me to lead others to you. Jesus I believe in you.