There was a commercial a few years ago that humorously showed how ‘honest’ Abraham Lincoln was.  It depicted him talking to his wife, and his wife, Mary Todd, asked him if she looked big in the dress she was wearing.  Lincoln, after careful consideration, honestly replied, “perhaps a little.”  Most people would have probably lied in that situation.  In fact, many of us rationalize lying by stating it is just a little white lie or we did it to save someone’s feelings.  Though it may seem harmless or even charitable, the Eighth Commandment calls us to reflect on lying.

              In John’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims to His disciples that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).  When we bear witness to the Truth, we are bearing witness to our God.  We announce God’s will in our lives by living in the truth.  Offenses against the truth, like lying, counters who our God is.  Without Truth, we live in darkness, and as Easter shows, Christ came into the world to be the light of the world in many ways – including Truth.  To live in the truth is to live in the light of Christ.  Because of this, we as people of faith have an obligation to live in the Truth of God and be a witness to others of the Truth. 

              The primary violation of this commandment deals with bearing false witness and perjury.  These are public statements, like in court,  contrary to the truth that we are announcing officially.  Testimony in court further is a violation to the truth in that testimony is under oath, which we would interpret as us making a promise to God to testify to the truth.  The violation of the truth in these situations also violates justice.

              Another offense against the truth deals with the respect for the reputation of another.  This is making rash judgments against someone without sufficient information towards what the truth actually is.  It is also making remarks against a person we do not like in order to cause others to see them in a poor light as well.  The primary way we offend the truth in regards to the reputation of another is gossip.  We like to talk about other people, and often it is because the person has harmed us in some way.  Sometimes the things we are saying are true, but they also harm the reputation of the other.  The issue even in this situation as it relates to the truth is that we often do not tell the other person these truths.  How can someone live in the truth if we are not willing to tell them?  If the only way we communicate this truth is to others, then how are we helping our brother or sister live in that truth?  We must question our intentions with the truth that we have in these situations.

              The core struggle most of us have with this commandment is lying.  As the Catechism states, “lying is the most direct offense against the truth” (CCC 2483).  We are being intentionally deceptive in order to lead the other into error, whether it relates to how they view us or others.  With lying, we do have to evaluate the gravity of the lie.  Some lies are greater than others, but even with that being the case, all lies – whether severe or little white lies – are contrary to the truth.  Our rationalization of white lies is dangerous, because we rob others of the opportunity to live in the truth.  We have to ask ourselves whose feelings are we really saving with a lie:  the other or ourselves from the situation?  Sometimes it is just easier to tell a little lie than being honest with another.  The commandment’s intention is to show us that living in the truth is not just for ourselves but helping the other live in the Truth of the Faith as well. 

              To be a true follower of Christ, we must live in the Truth that Christ is.  That means our lives must revolve around this desire to live in Truth.  We seek honesty in how we live.  Let us embrace the Truth in our lives as a sign of our living in the light of Christ.