We Cannot Bear False Witness
By Ty Salvant
Has a non-Catholic ever accused you of worshiping the saints or Mary? Suppose you carefully explained that while we only worship God. We do honor Mary, whom he himself has honored in a special way, and we reach out to her to intercede on our behalf. And when we pray to the saints, we are asking them to pray with us and for us, just as we would ask of a living friend.
After this explanation, what would your reaction be if that person responded with, “It goes against God to pray to anyone other than God.” Exasperation? Frustration? What if you heard non-Catholics distorting your explanation completely?
We see that might cause further division, hurt and misunderstanding among the people of God. On the other hand, how would it feel to be taken at our word? We do not ask our non-Catholic friends to believe or practice the way we do, but rather to understand our “why.”
Many times, Colin Kaepernick has explained why he chose to protest the National Anthem, an anthem that, for many citizens, didn’t live up to the promises recited at sporting events. Distorting the “why” of Colin Kaepernick’s protest is just as wrong as someone distorting Catholic beliefs.
We should be able to see how this might cause further division among God’s children, in a way, obstructing God’s kingdom. As Christians, we cannot bear false witness, misconstrue the truth or contort a narrative for any reason.
