Advent Devotion

December 16, 2009

Nothing but the Truth

Excerpt from Luke 7:31-35

"For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon;' the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"

Reflection by Felix Carrion

They said of John the Baptist "he has a demon." They said of [Jesus], "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" With these words, Jesus points to the banal contradictions of their criticisms. Those whom he quotes refuse to listen to the message about the condition of their lives. Instead, they deflect, they label.

Friends, let's accept it now: there are people who will always be critical no matter what you do and how you do it. The labels they fling will always fly. Forget trying to change this; instead, work on "thyself," which means: pay loving and genuine attention to your life, to your every step. This is the path to an authentic life.

I am convinced that neither John nor Jesus gave any credence to the opinions of their critics. Whether praised or criticized, they simply went on doing what rang true in them. Nothing but the truth of their lives could hold court in their hearts and heads.

An authentic and transparent life is free from the flapping fickleness of the human tongue and the judgments of others.

Prayer

O God, hold court in my heart, and free me to be who I truly am. Amen.