522. How does one bear witness to the truth? (part 1)
(Comp 522) A Christian must bear witness to the truth of the Gospel in every field
of his activity, both public and private, and also if necessary, with the
sacrifice of his very life. Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth
of the faith.
“In brief”
(CCC 2505) Truth or
truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and
truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and
hypocrisy.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 2471) Before Pilate, Christ proclaims that he "has
come into the world, to bear witness to the truth" (Jn 18:37). The Christian
is not to "be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord" (2 Tim 1:8). In
situations that require witness to the faith, the Christian must profess it
without equivocation, after the example of St. Paul before his judges. We must
keep "a clear conscience toward God and toward men" (Acts 24:16).
Reflection
(CCC 2472) The duty of Christians to take part in the life
of the Church impels them to act as witnesses
of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. This witness is a
transmission of the faith in words and deeds. Witness is an act of justice that
establishes the truth or makes it known (Cf. Mt 18:16). All Christians by the
example of their lives and the witness of their word, wherever they live, have
an obligation to manifest the new man which they have put on in Baptism and to
reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at
Confirmation (AG 11). [IT
CONTINUES]
No comments:
Post a Comment