"Be silent when they do not want to acknowledge your truth"

Holy Saturday

"My daughter, when I was before Herod, I obtained a grace for you; namely, that you would be able to rise above human scorn and follow faithfully in My footsteps. Be silent when they do not want to acknowledge your truth, because it is then that you speak more eloquently".(Diary of St. Faustina, 1164)

Jesus in front of Herod

As we continue to wait for the Resurrection of Jesus and the Passion is fresh in our minds one piece of Jesus’ suffering stands out.  It is the way in which He handles false accusations.  Luke writes of this in his Gospel,  “He  (Herod) plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer”. And the chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing himand Herod with his soldiers set him at nought, and mocked him."(Luke 23:9-11)

One of the hardest things I have found in my life is to remain silent when you in your heart feel that you are right.  If someone falsely accuses you of something you did is there not a burning desire to right the situation.  It seems a natural thing to do.  However, Our ways are not Gods ways.  He shows us through the Passion and then through his teachings to St. Faustina in the diary that Truth needs no defending.  By our life may we give witness not through our words.  One of the child Saints that we invited to join the children’s rosary beautifully lived this lesson.

A Story of Saint Dominic Savio:

While at school a serious offense was committed by a classmate. The child who had previously been in trouble with the teacher wrongly accused Dominic of committing the offense.  The teacher threatened Dominic with expulsion.  Dominic made no reply to the accusation but stood in silence head bowed.  The teacher relented and did not expel Dominic as he had never been in trouble before.  A short time later the teacher discovered the identity of the real culprit.  He asked Dominic why he had not defended himself.

St. Dominic Savio

His answer came slowly but simply: "I knew that the other boy was in trouble for other things. I remembered how Our Lord had been unjustly accused, and I hoped that if I kept silence he would be given another chance."

Dominic was eleven years old when this occurred.  Little more needs to be said it speaks for itself.

Lord may we the children's rosary learn this lesson of humility and silence.  Let us live the Truths of our lives and let that speak for itself.  Amen