An Invitation to Stand By the Truth

Can God use what is best in us to show His love to the world? Can His light shine through us and reach others? Yes, and perhaps He created us to serve Him in this way. Allow me to give you an example by telling you about an event in the life of my good friend Henry. Specifically, this example shows us how we can serve God using our natural gifts, and attributes enhanced by grace.  The focus is on Henry’s natural character, and as the story unfolds, we shall see how his natural characteristics can be used in service to Christ, our Lord.

My Friend Henry

During his high school years, Henry appeared to others like a little jerk trying to be a tough guy. He was not little, just medium size about 5′ 9″, 160lbs, and quite normal physically. Yet, he was kind of a jerk because he did wrong things like lie, smoke dope, steal, get into fights (over nothing really), argue with teachers, occasionally get suspended from school, etc. He wasn’t all bad, but his reputation wasn’t good.

Well, one fine day on the high school campus Henry and one of his friends had lunch together. After lunch, they cleaned their area and went on their way. However, on the way to wherever they were going they were stopped by a group of lettermen, school athletes and heroes who had taken it upon themselves to keep the campus clean and told by the leader to return to their eating area and pick up the trash.

The problem was that this had already been done, and Henry tried in vain to explain this to the leader, However, considering Henry’s reputation, he didn’t believe him. Obviously, the leader had the wrong suspects at bay, but he didn’t think so. Henry knowing the truth was not about to admit to something he didn’t do; he just wouldn’t back down.

Fighting for the Truth

So, what was the result? What else could happen during those teen years in the 1950’s when a letterman confronted a hoodlum or vice versa? There was going to be a fight, fisticuffs only, a gentlemen’s fight, after all we are talking about teen life in the 1950’s.

Well, you guessed it, a fight after school between the good guy and the hoodlum, which spread like wildfire throughout the school. The problem was that Henry knew he would lose; it was like David against Goliath, with the roles of good and bad guy reversed. The letterman was 6′ 2″ at least and weighed over 200lbs. and was in excellent physical condition, as most school athletes were. Henry, on the other hand, was not only smaller and lighter, but also completely out of shape in that he constantly smoked, took drugs, was often drunk at parties, etc. Henry was no match for the letterman, and he knew it; he suffered fear and anxiety throughout the rest of the day. Some of his friends advised him to apologize and promise to pick up trash the next day; others advised him to pull a “no show,” and just walk away.

Henry knew he had options; he was afraid; he dreaded the physical punishment but something inside could not or would not renounce the truth. He was right and the letterman was wrong; his conscience was clear. and he would not deny it. Somehow he was living the verses said by Jesus:

do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28).

So, Henry was willing to take the physical punishment rather than compromise with the truth.

Strength of Conviction

Honestly, we can see something meritorious in Henry, not so much his courage, though he displayed that, but the strength of his convictions and his unwavering allegiance to what was true. By the way, the fight occurred as planned; Henry lost of course. One of his friends had to take him immediately to the dentist.

It could have been worse; the crowd surprisingly protected him because every time Henry was knocked down, the roar of the crowd kept the letterman at a distance allowing him to get back into the fight on his feet. Of course. the letterman was not a brute. He offered him the opportunity to submit anytime, to admit defeat, and go his way with the debt paid. But Henry believed that he was not only defending himself (although not that well) but also the truth, so he couldn’t quit. Fortunately for him, a teacher came along and broke up the fight. Teachers rarely went into the student parking lot, but on this day one showed up.

Stand By The Truth

So, what’s the point of the story? Today Henry still stands by the truth, now he defends the truths of the Church, and he won’t compromise; he won’t give in. He is like the man who found a treasure in a field and went and sold everything he had and bought that field to protect the treasure:

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:44).

Henry is like that; he has found the peace of God and he avoids anything or anybody that could take that away from him. His conscience is clear now, just as it was then, but he no longer carries all that dark luggage which served as an obstacle between his conscience and his soul. Our souls are made to be with God; we are made to be with God, now and forever. God has created us in his image and as St. Augustine tells us: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” (The Confessions of St. Augustine 397AD.-400AD.)

Our Creator wants to bring us to heaven, but he doesn’t want us to come alone; he needs us to bring others… “He stands patiently knocking gently on the door of our hearts, but there is no handle on the outside, only on the inside.”