We sometimes come across the statement “the truth hurts.” When we hear something about ourselves which sounds difficult or unpleasant, we find it painful to accept. The same goes for other people we know. When we discover something about another person which is unexpected, we may also find it difficult to accept. Many relationships have been strained or broken when one party discovered something significant about another party. Our opinion, perspective, feelings or outlook about ourselves or another person may change when we come to know the real truth.
In today’s Gospel (Luke 4:16-30), we read that “everyone in the synagogue was enraged” at what Jesus had said. Jesus had admonished them for their lack of faith in Him, and to a wider extent, their lack of faith in God. We read that Jesus gave examples of how foreigners or gentiles (such as the widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town, and the Syrian, Naaman) were helped by God instead of the Israelites receiving help, simply because the Israelites as a people had been very stubborn, wanting to do things on their own way and refusing to put their trust and dependence in God. When Jesus said such things, the people in the synagogue could not accept the truth about themselves. They refused to listen to Jesus and change their ways. Instead, we read how the people in the synagogue tried to get rid of Jesus by throwing him down the cliff.
How would you respond when you come to know the truth? Would you learn to accept hard facts about yourself or another person? Would you be willing to grow in faith in God and learn to depend on Him more. We can choose to progress in our spiritual life by accepting the truth and moving on, or we could choose to become stagnant in our faith by remaining stubborn and attached to our comfort zone, refusing to acknowledge the truth.