The truth is hard sometimes. Jesus says He is the way the truth and the life.
Jesus is all loving, but that doesn’t mean the truth always feels loving. As exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger once said, our feelings are irrelevant.
That doesn’t mean we go around saying things even if true with no regard for people’s feelings whatsoever. That’s not loving.
However, our feelings do not outweigh the greater good. Remember that!
The Church, post-Vatican II has done the faithful no favors by focusing ONLY on God’s infinite Mercy and rarely on His perfect Justice.
When I started this blog, I wanted to stress hard-hitting truth. The domain name I wanted was already taken, so I came up with The Straight Shot and pen name Marksman.
It had absolutely zero to do with guns or archery or shooting or darts. While I support the Second Amendment, I am not what you would call a “gun guy.”
It had to do with being a straight shooter (or trying to be) who digs a little deeper. I did not want to just be talking about look how bad the Democrats are! Fake tough guy Sean Hannity will be on controlled opposition Fox tonight if you like watching someone mock a real-life Peter Sellers character falling down the stairs.
Everyone says they like to hear the truth. But they prefer to hear good truths. I’m no different.
You’re a reliable friend. You have sound insights. Ah, yes…how wonderful I am!
Now, we need some of that from our closest loved ones, but too much of it from those around us can turn us the other way. I can remember several years ago a priest I was/am close to paid me a compliment.
He told me he was very impressed with me that a prime-aged single American-born man goes to Confession, Mass, prays before the Sacrament, etc. He asked if I had interest in becoming a priest.
I was taken aback because I knew I was living quite debaucherously. But I started to buy some of my own hype and got comfortable.
I thought I could live some duality of low-level bad boy and devout Catholic who comes through when it matters. To Jesus, it matters every day.
Then that same priest noticed over time that I was Confessing the exact same mortal sins week-in, week-out. Truth is I was using Confession, not as much to hold myself accountable and improve, but as some ATM machine where I Confess, go to Mass and mortally sin sometimes right afterwards.
He said to me one time after Confession that I need to change my behavior. Specifically, he said something along the lines of what good is it if you do all this praying and attending Mass and the Sacraments, but still go to Hell?
A close friend of mine parroted that exact same thing. He is not really the religious type, but we have a lot of conversations about religion, the Church, etc.
When I would try to steer him toward Christ, he would tell me I was a hypocrite because I live this excessive party life. That’s why I say, though he doesn’t call himself a believer, he is more Christian than many who call themselves Christians.
He’s willing to tell me hard truths that I sometimes need to hear. Sometimes being the delivery system for hard truths is tough.
I wish I could say I changed overnight after hearing these truths. It was a slow progression, and I am still striving for where I need to be.
In my last article, I linked a sermon on how many more people go to Hell than Heaven. I knew it would strike a nerve or ten.
People have a tendency to think you are writing directly about them even if you are not. Everyone loves truth that applies to others. They love positive truths that apply to them.
I knew people would think I was telling them they are specifically going to Hell if they do not improve and that I am saved. The real point is we ALL, myself included need to get closer to Christ and more active in our Faith if we are to be saved.
So, I said to myself, God wants this message out there. That’s why He brought the sermon to my attention.
The fact I felt apprehension made me know this. Usually if something strikes a little fear into us, it is worth doing.
I could have just sent it directly to those who would receive it well. Or I could link it here and offer it in mass knowing it may rub people wrong. That’s the tougher decision.
I am reminded of some things I have learned from reading Teddy Atlas’ book and watching his podcast. He knows something about hard truths.
He had to face them about himself. At times, he had to tell his fighters hard truths about themselves.
Sometimes it was that a guy was shot and needed to retire. Sometimes it was that a fighter did not have the discipline to reach his potential. Sometimes it was that he was mentally weak and therefore on some level a coward.
This often cost him financially as no fighter wants to hear these things, especially a young Mike Tyson. But Teddy always knew that Tyson was not living up to what he was portrayed to be and refused the easy road of coddling bad behavior.
His detractors will say his ego was the problem. It was sometimes about him overshadowing the fighter.
Maybe that’s a fair opinion, but can you imagine what Tyson COULD have been had he fully bought into Atlas’ taskmaster discipline and accountability?
It didn’t end at training fighters. Teddy ended up losing his job as a commentator at globo-homo ESPN for telling hard truths about fighters, officials, promoters, sanctioning bodies, etc.
I can recall a time when I cowered from speaking a hard truth. I was at a family funeral some years ago. Someone very close to me asked me if they should receive Holy Communion.
They wanted to, but knew they were not in a state of Grace at the time. I took the easy way out and said something along the lines of maybe if they make a confession to Jesus with contrition they can.
My rationale was that I did not want to make someone feel worse at an already upsetting time. But I failed this individual.
This person turned to me because I they viewed me as the most spiritually knowledgeable person in the immediate vicinity who would be likely to give a straight answer. I wilted when it mattered.
Soon after in disgust with myself, I sent emailed to this person apologizing and giving them the correct answer that they should not have received without Confession. That person Confessed and became much more dedicated to Christ afterwards, but I could have spared them a sin.
When we love someone, the ultimate desire for them should not be their health, their happiness or whether or not they like us (though of course we want those things too). It should be their ultimate salvation.
So sometimes the truth is hard, but regret is harder. So is eternity in Hell.
Remember! Our feelings don’t outweigh the greater good. Talk soon.
-Marksman