29 May 2021
Saturday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
The Pharisees refuse to answer Jesus’ question. They know their preferred answer, they know the popular answer, and they refuse to come down publicly on one side or the other, simply saying “We do not know” (Mk. 11:33). St. Augustine sees this dodge and observes that the Pharisees are afraid of the truth. They fear the truth, and dodge it with a lie.
Why would the Pharisees fear truth? For the same reason that any of us might fear the truth: Once we know the truth, we can no longer do as we please. Lies are comfortable, and preserve our autonomy. But lies come at a price. When the Pharisees dodge Jesus’ question with a lie, He refuses to speak with them. Jesus is truth itself (cf. Jn. 14:6), and will have no truck with lying. Lies might make us autonomous, but they also make us alone—separated even from Jesus.