Mass Readings Audio
https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2020-10-18-usccb-daily-mass-readings

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 18, 2020

Welcome to the one hundred and thirty-fourth episode of By Your Life. I’m Lisa Huetteman and I know that you have a hundred different things you could be doing right now, so I thank you for choosing By Your Life.

My goal is to inspire, empower, support, challenge, and encourage you to connect Sunday, with Monday-Friday, in a secular business world. It’s my desire to help you live our Catholic faith in the marketplace. I hope to offer you practical ways to go forth and glorify the Lord by your life.

In this edition, we’ll reflect on the readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. (Cycle A) In the Gospel this week, we heard one of Jesus’ most memorable one-liners: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Mt 22:21) It is memorable because the Pharisees and the Herodians conspired to trap Jesus. The question that they posed was intended to force Jesus to take either a position contrary to that held by the majority of the people or one that will bring him into conflict with the Roman authorities. The Herodians favored payment of the tax and the Pharisees did not. But he turned the tables on them, and they went away amazed by his response.

What struck me about this Gospel was not so much the message about our moral and civic responsibilities, which are important, and we are expected to uphold. Instead, what stood out to me was what the conniving Pharisees said about Jesus before they attempted to lay their trap. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.” (Mt 22:16)

They knew Jesus was a truthful man and the truth he preached was a problem for them. For this reason, they set the trap. But before we judge the Pharisees too harshly, we should probably look in the mirror and see how we react to the truth when it conflicts with our pre-established beliefs.

Truth Eludes Us

Edith Sitwell, the 20th-century British poet said, “There is no truth, only points of view.” While this sentiment is wrong from a Catholic perspective, her point is validated by psychological research and is known as confirmation bias. People will ignore facts that are contrary to their beliefs and will seek out, interpret, and focus on facts that confirm their preconceptions. All people do this and that means you and I are guilty of having a confirmation bias. But that’s not all.

Psychologists have also identified other related biases that contribute to our “perception vs. truth” problem. First, we have what is known as an “anchoring bias” that reflects our tendency to rely too heavily on one trait or piece of information which is usually the first piece of information acquired on the subject (whether or not that information is “true”.)

Then, there is the problem of the “continued influence effect” in which we tend to believe previously learned false information even after it has been corrected. Misinformation can still influence us even when we know it is false.

Finally, there is “naïve realism” or believing that we see reality as it really is – objectively and without bias. We are convinced that the facts are plain for all to see; that rational people will agree with us; and that those who don’t are either uninformed, lazy, irrational, or biased.

Stephen Colbert coined the term truthiness during the creation of a segment called, “The WØrd” that was part his political satire program. The term “truthiness” is the belief that a particular statement is true based on the intuition or perceptions of individuals, without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.. Colbert chose the word truthiness after deciding the originally scripted word – “truth” – was not absolutely ridiculous enough: “We’re not talking about truth; we’re talking about something that seems like truth – the truth we want to exist.”

It was 2005 when Colbert brought the term truthiness to life, right around the time Facebook had only about 6 million users. Today, as is detailed in Jeff Orlowski’s documentary “The Social Dilemma,” (available on Netflix) the algorithms in Facebook’s, Google’s, and other tech giant’s platforms make them money by feeding us the “truth” we want to exist.

According to Tristan Harris, former Google Design Ethicist and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, “There is an entire team of engineers whose job is to use your psychology against you.”, and one of the unintended consequences is that “Fake news spreads six times faster than true news.” (from The Social Dilemma)

Selective Truth

Social media is not the only skewer of the truth. If you’re objective when you listen to the mainstream media (from the left or the right), you may not find that the “facts” presented are false, but rather selections of the truth presented in a way to influence you rather than inform you. Not so long ago, journalists were bound by ethical standards to present all the facts of a story and leave their opinions out. Today, news hosts interview journalists, ask their views and predictions about an issue, feed them biased questions, and present only facts that support those opinions. When contrary facts are presented, they are downplayed or followed up by supporting information, leading the listener to the obvious (and biased) conclusion.

The media is also selective about what issues they cover at all. If a story doesn’t fit their bias, it goes uncovered, or given a minimal mention. If a story supports the bias, the coverage goes on for days.

Seeking the Truth Takes Time and Effort

Print media is also guilty of this type of reporting bias. I’ve learned that when I read an article that says, for example, “The Pope Said XYZ…”, I have to go the source document to find what the pope actually said, otherwise I’ll miss the context and the completeness of the message. Again, the journalist picks and chooses quotes that fit their narrative. Seeking out the truth from original sources takes time but it is worth the effort.

Pope Francis speaks to this issue in his most recent encyclical letter on fraternity and social friendship, Fratelli Tutti. He writes, “Together, we can seek the truth in dialogue, in relaxed conversation or in passionate debate. To do so calls for perseverance; it entails moments of silence and suffering, yet it can patiently embrace the broader experience of individuals and peoples. The flood of information at our fingertips does not make for greater wisdom. Wisdom is not born of quick searches on the internet nor is it a mass of unverified data. That is not the way to mature in the encounter with truth.” (FT 50)

At work, we need to invest the time and effort to seek the truth. When there is a dispute between employees, typically one version of the story will reach you first. If you are like most people, the anchoring bias will cause you to tend to believe that person’s perspective as truth. But wait before you respond and seek out the other person’s side of the story first. If confidentiality is not an issue, you can also seek out independent views from other parties as well. Even if you don’t discover the whole truth, you’ll understand what people believe to be the truth and that is important when trying to resolve differences. It may not sound like the fastest or most efficient approach, but seeking the truth takes time and I guarantee you it is more effective.

God or Caesar?

Jesus wasn’t just a truthful man. Jesus is Truth itself. (Jn 14:6) As Christians, we are obligated to seek out the truth, and not selectively pick and choose Scripture that supports our biases. As Catholics, we are obligated to seek out the truth as revealed to the Church and given to us through Scripture and Tradition. Although many do, being a Catholic doesn’t mean we get to pick and choose which of her teachings we think are right and worthy of belief. And this is hard. This requires humility. This requires effort to understand why the Church teaches what she does. The Church doesn’t rely on public opinion polls to define truth. It relies on Scripture, tradition, and the Holy Spirit. When we think she’s wrong, we need to examine our biases to understand what is holding us back.

Unfortunately, Catholics are more closely aligned with their political party than they are with the Church. According to the Pew Research Forum, “when it comes to a number of specific issues – including some on which Catholic teachings leave little room for doubt – Catholic partisans often express opinions that are much more in line with the positions of their political parties than with the teachings of their church.” In other words, their bias aligns with Caesar.

• The Catholic website Phatmass.com captured this division a while back when it posted the following:
• When I talk about greater justice for immigrants, I’m called a Democrat.
• When I speak up against abortion, I’m called a Republican.
• When I talk about racism and racial inequality, I’m called a Democrat.
• When I mention small localized government, I’m called a Republican.
• When I support the common good and solidarity, I’m called a Democrat.
• When I say the family should be strengthened, I’m called a Republican.
• When I speak up against the death penalty, I’m called a Democrat.
• When I refuse to fund contraception, I’m called a Republican.

In truth, I’m a member of an institution that teaches that freedom is when a person no longer acts under the influence of someone else. An institution that encourages free will and free thought. An institution that doesn’t fit inside a man-made box. I’m Catholic.

When someone says, “I am Catholic” it comes with a responsibility to seek the truth. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “The disciple of Christ consents to ‘live in the truth’, that is in the simplicity of a life in conformity with the Lord’s example and abiding in his truth. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth.” (CCC 2470)

God and Caesar

“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Mt 22:21) The Pharisees and the Herodians expected to trap Jesus with an either/or question and he responded with not one or the other but both/and. If we as Catholics would speak with a common voice, the voice of truth, then maybe we could honor God and Caesar and we wouldn’t have to hold our noses while we vote for one party or the other. Maybe we’d have an option for a party platform that includes justice for immigrants and life for the unborn, equality for all races and small government that supports the common good, justice and mercy for the prisoner and freedom to practice your faith. But for this to happen, we must open our hearts to accept the truth and then speak up in voices as loud as those that are spewing hatred, vitriol, and lies.

Repay to God what belongs to God… and we belong to God. We repay God with how we live the life that he gave us, glorifying him in all that we do. Now, that’s the truth!

Let’s pray: Lord, Jesus Christ, you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Hear our prayer for truth and integrity in all segments of society today. In seeking truth, we pray the world will come to find you, the source of all Truth. May your Spirit of Truth fashion our minds and hearts so that in public and private life, we do not compromise truth by rationalization or pretense, but safe-guard and defend it always.

May God bless you abundantly this week and may you glorify the Lord by your life.

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