Vindicating wisdom

Calumny is the intentional twisting of facts so as to misrepresent the truth.  Basically, calumny is a lie meant to do harm to another.  When someone gives into calumny, they often look at some virtue in another and twist it some way so as to deceive and misrepresent the truth.  And it’s often done out of envy or jealousy.  The most common form of calumny is gossip.  There is way too much gossip in our internet-driven “news analysis” in today’s culture of hate.  But one of the more insidious forms of calumny in our society is “profiling”. 

Profiling is rampant these days against those of a different political party or opinion, resulting in vicious attacks, name-calling, and rejection of persons themselves.  It’s easy to condemn anyone who profiles.  Yet it’s wired into our brains as a survival mechanism, and it’s overcome only with conscious effort.  That’s because our ancestors had to quickly “profile” to determine levels of threat and ensure their personal survival.  Given any hint of danger, that person was assumed to be malicious until proven otherwise.  Trust came slowly.

Profiling was the word that came to my mind as I was reading the Gospel of Matthew today.  Jesus points out that both He and John the Baptist were ridiculed and falsely accused of being sinful.  John, for example, fasted much which was quite virtuous.  But the Pharisees interpreted it as the work of the devil.  Jesus didn’t meet the authorities’ expectations of a religious teacher.  He didn’t act or speak as they wanted, nor offer them the deference they felt they “deserved.”  Jesus spent time at many people’s homes as a guest and He was accused of being a glutton and drunkard (Matthew 11:16-19). 

This sad situation should be an opportunity for each of us to look at how honest we are in our relations with one another.  When I see goodness in another am I able to rejoice in that fact?  Am I able to honestly give thanks to God for their goodness?  Or do I immediately start to interpret their virtue in a false way?

Advent invites us to reflect upon the way we look at others around us and, especially, how we speak about them.  Our goal should be to look at their virtue and try to honestly honor them for it.  And if we see ourselves falling into any form of jealousy or envy, surrender it over to our merciful God so that it doesn’t turn into the ugly sin of calumny. 

Our country has been so infected by calumny that we’re split into “camps” of ideology and beliefs.  Opportunities for housing, employment, and physical safety are deeply affected.  Across the board, we’re becoming increasingly exclusionary, refusing to listen to, be around, or know each other.

This is clearly not what Jesus calls us to, nor a good model for discipleship.  It needs to be rejected at all levels.  I wish I could achieve that, but I can’t control others.  What I can do is change myself, and awareness is the first step.

What am I saying to myself when I see someone begging for money or food?  What are my assumptions about a person who isn’t wearing a mask, or refuses to get vaccinated?   Or about a person toting a banner or espousing an LGBTQ equality slogan on social media?  What do I believe I know about a Black or Latino person’s family and life?  What runs through my head when I see a hijab, turban, or yarmulke?

I’m trying to do a better job of noticing and cutting down my profiling of those who aren’t like me. Then I take those to prayer and ask the God who created all of us to open my mind and heart, to see them with the eyes of Christ, and to change not only my attitude but my actions and reactions.  They are, after all, my brothers and sisters whom I am called to serve.

This is my goal for Advent, a way for me to give birth to the Christ Child in my life.  May I (and all of us) nurture the healing, inclusive, loving power of God in this fractured world.