Liar Liar

By Lisa Greey –
We all value a friend who speaks the truth. If you ask, “Does this dress look
good on me?” and your best friend says yes, when in fact it’s just not the right style
for you … you wouldn’t be happy. Your best friend hopefully speaks the truth in
love, even about difficult things. He (or she) can do this because a) he loves you and
b) he knows you very well.
We are told today that if we say we know Christ, “but do not keep his
commandments” we are “liars.” We are separated from truth. These are pretty
intense words! While there aren’t “commandments” we keep with our friends,
there are commitments – commitments to honesty, integrity, and support. My best
friend and I pretty much know each other inside and out. If I was to gossip behind
her back or not give her the time she deserves, in some sense I am a liar about our
friendship. It is the same with Christ, even more so, if we say “Oh yeah, I know
Christ” or “I believe in Christ,” but then we turn around and do whatever we please
with our moral decisions. We all are liars at some point in our faith journey. It is
not possible for any human to be without sin, without failings. Christ paid the price
for these choices. Yet the reading today offers us a great goal and promise: “But
whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.”
I hope that today we can honestly assess the places where we live in
truth and the place where we live in lies. If we can commit to following God’s
commandments, and seeking the sacrament of reconciliation when we fall, we will
become that friend who speaks and acts in true charity. As a friend of God and a
friend to others, we will live out our true identity in a way that compels others to
consider “maybe I should get to know Christ too.”