You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16 The Eight Commandment

Johannine Writings – the Gospel of John and the 3 letters of John – uses the symbolism of light and dark to symbolize this spiritual truth Please read Article 28 & 29 God is truth  Lies destroy trust  When we tell lies we are denying the truth and God  John 14:6 – “I am the way and the truth and the life”  We exercise the virtue of truth with honest actions and truthful words – we grow in our union with God

John 3:19-21 And this verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light so that his works might not be exposed. But those whoever lives in truth comes to the light, so that his works may clearly seen as done in God

Live in Reality Not in Illusion ◦Lies are sins – endanger our earthly happiness and eternal destiny ◦When we tell to many lies we begin to lose our true identity ◦We are responsible for the lies we create and the ones told to us that we do not make an effort to seek the truth

Modern Day Martyrs Witnessing to the Truth of the Gospel ◦God sent his son to reveal the truth and save us from sin and death ◦Many have made great sacrifices to help others know the love of Christ ◦Martyrs follow the footsteps of Christ into death knowing that they will share in his resurrected life. Twentieth Century Martyrs ◦Page 142 – Lets Read

Becoming a person of Integrity Reparation – making amends for something one did wrong that caused harm to another person or let to loss Conscience – the “interior voice of a person – “God given sense of the law of God When we sin our conscience cries out for us to repair our integrity

Honesty builds trust and the effects of lying Honest builds personal integrity, which builds trust If you are dishonest you will not be trusted When lies are discovered, trust and relationships are damages/destroyed Even if not discovered a lie can still hurt and wound others

The danger of lies, is that the more we use them, the less we live in reality and the more we live in illusion. Lies destroy truth – once discovered others find it hard to trust you Lies affect our relationship with other people and God We exercise the virtue of truth by the honesty of our actions and truthfulness of our words To be worthy of another's trust we must be truthful in words and action

Relationship Web – listen carefully What is the significance of trust in daily actions? Can others trust you? Do you believe that your interactions reflect honesty and integrity? Or do you have illusions? If you create a relationship based on lies in one area, can you be true in others? Is it possible that a lie can cause ripples in your web? When you live in truth, why do you reflect God’s life?

“Things in Their Identity” by Thomas Merton Listen carefully: Your Lenten Reflection Then choose one and write a 2-3 paragraph reflection: ◦Do you invite God to share in the creation of who you are becoming? ◦How would you describe your authentic self and the person you are becoming?