For the wrath of God is revealed … against all … who surpress the truth. — Romans 1:18.
When I first read today’s verse I thought, “Oh boy! Those on the other side of the political spectrum, will get their comeuppance. They are exactly who St. Paul is talking about.” But, Romans 1:18 isn’t about pointing fingers at others; it’s a mirror in our own house.
It is commonplace to perceive the flaws and “untruths” in politicians, celebrities, and even those closest to us. We become adept at identifying what we perceive as other’s shortcomings, their deviations from what we consider “the truth.” But as the saying goes, when we point a finger, three point back at us.
The story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery (John 8) is informative of what St. Paul wants us to learn. The crowd, ready to condemn and stone her, were confronted by Jesus’s simple question: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” This challenge wasn’t about condoning sin, but about recognizing our own complicity in a world filled with it. It forced them, and forces us, to confront the uncomfortable truth about ourselves. We are all, to varying degrees, “guilty.” We all fall short of perfect righteousness and truth. We all have areas where we suppress the truth, even to ourselves.
My inclination this past month has been to “throw stones,” and to justify my reaction by claiming it’s “the only thing they understand.” In doing so, I convinced myself that my anger, my judgment, was righteous, that it’s the other side that needs to change. But as my seventy-seven years of life experience has wisely taught, this approach only escalates conflict, distorts the truth further, and breeds chaos. It’s a cycle of negativity that rarely leads to positive change. Throwing stones rarely builds bridges; it more often builds walls.
The real challenge of Romans 1:18 isn’t identifying the sins of others, but recognizing our own tendency to suppress the truth. It’s about acknowledging the areas where we rationalize our actions, justify our prejudices, and avoid confronting our own shortcomings. It’s about understanding that true change begins not with judging others, but with humbly examining ourselves. It’s about putting down the stones we’re so quick to pick up and instead seeking the difficult path of self-reflection and growth. Perhaps, instead of focusing on the “wrath of God” as a judgment against others, we should see it as a call to accountability, a loving invitation to turn away from the darkness within ourselves and embrace the light of truth, starting with our own hearts.
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