Truth, justice and charity

THEY are supposed to come together. They are inseparable. They mutually affect each other. All this because they come from the same source and are meant to go 

toward the same end. And that is God.

            But given our human condition, both in its original state and its current state wounded by sin, they seem to sometimes conflict with one another, their ideal 

of being together has to be worked out by us.

            It’s in this context that we have to be more aware of our responsibility to put them together. Precisely when we find ourselves in the middle of some raging 

controversies and hot issues, this duty of ours comes to the fore.

            Now that we are in the midst of a screaming national crisis, thanks to the pork barrel issue, it behooves us to be most careful in expressing our views and 

opinions so that truth, justice and charity go together as they ought.

            At the moment, especially in blogs and in the social network, patent irregularities can be noted. Basic courtesy is tossed to the winds, with venom spewed 

right and left. People seem to monopolize the truth as opinions practically become dogmas, creating very funny black-and-white scenarios.

            We need to hold our horses and strive to sort out things calmly, always eager to hear everybody’s side no matter how insignificant, irrelevant or of little 

value it may be. Everyone should be heard, especially the side of the suspect or the accused.

            In the end, we are all brothers and sisters. No amount of wrongdoing can erase that fact. And we have to remember that whatever good or evil happens in the 

world, everyone of us, one way or another, is responsible, at least in part. We are all in the same boat. We rise and fall together.

            It always pays to be calm, sober and courteous in going through a certain issue, let alone, a national crisis. This way we can think, assess and judge things 

better, able to distinguish between what is essential and what is incidental.

            Yes, certain parties may have to be penalized, but even the penalty, while out of justice, should come and serve charity as well. They may be condemned through 

our judicial system, but they are still persons and brothers and sisters of ours. They are not animals nor mere objects, though they may have behaved like one.

            I think that this will do us a lot of good individually as a person and collectively as a people, as a nation. With our new information technologies that 

afford us easy and rapid communication, we would always be tempted to speak our mind without restraint.

            Truth is not served that way, since truth should always go with charity and justice. We need to restrain ourselves a little bit, to purify our intentions and 

to muster the best way to proceed.

            We have to be most wary of what is known as bitter zeal. It is the eagerness to pursue one’s goal by any means, even trampling on the requirements of charity. 

It is an expression of the erroneous moral principle that the end justifies the means.

            Sad to say, I notice that many people, even the so-called educated ones, seem to have no qualms in resorting to this principle. They feel justified to do so, 

forgetting that no matter how honest and holy they believe they are, there’s always something to pin them down too.

            Remember that episode of the woman caught in the act and practically thrown before Christ to be condemned and stoned to death. Christ simply kept quiet, wrote 

something on the ground, and finally told the accusers that whoever was without sin could cast the first stone. Then everyone left, starting with the older ones.

            It’s bad enough that this bitter zeal afflicts a person. It’s much worse when it afflicts many people, erupting into a mob rule. That’s when truth, justice and 

charity flee, and a most blinding self-righteousness prevails.

            We have to do everything to avoid this predicament to befall on us. So what are we supposed to do? Aside from studying the issues well and going through the 

steps of prudence, what is even more important is to pray, to offer sacrifices, to effect another renewal and conversion both in the personal and collective levels.

            We should never think that these spiritual and supernatural means are of no practical value. The truth is that they are the ones that would enable us to think 

and judge things properly, for these would be done in the presence of God.