Three words that we hear each year during the narrative of the passion have echoed down the centuries. They are the words of Pilate when he addressed Jesus. 'What is truth?'

Francis Bacon, in an essay on truth, refers to the words of Pilate, adding he "would not stay for an answer."

Any relationship, be it between two individuals or within societal groups, can only be fruitful if there is a respect for truth. It is worth noting that with the many heated words spoken recently on the floor of the House, the Speaker will not allow the inference that a Member is not telling the truth. There is a recognition that the commerce of language falls into disrepute when lies are accepted.

There has been much talk in recent weeks suggesting that our parliamentarians have failed us, failed the people, their electors. Yet the complexities of the arguments go way beyond a simple yes/no option. Not only do they affect this present generation who have had the privilege of the vote but the future life-experience of our children and grandchildren.

It is this generational responsibility that I would like to explore further. One of the songs of Johnny Cash has these lines 'And the lonely voice of youth cries "What is truth?"' and again later in the lyric 'You better help the voice of youth find
"What is truth?"'

Young people learn first from their family experience, from the love shared with them by parents and siblings and from the manner of conflict resolution when disputes inevitably break out. I heard someone on the radio recently comment that it is no good just chastising bad behaviour of young people without first tracing the story that led up to it. Understanding the root cause that leads to a problematic outcome goes a long way to solving the problem.

Being honest with young people in their difficult years of adjustment within the community is a great responsibility we all share, whether or not we are parents. There is an African saying that the whole village cares for the children, each has a role to play, an example to show.

What we say or how we behave in front of children offers a role model for those still immature, still coming to grips with the rights and wrongs of behaviour and looking for guidance. Our being honest in telling the truth is an important link in the protective link of trust in the caring fence of family and friends. But not all is perfect, for part of their exploratory journey is to test the edges of experience for themselves. Those first tentative steps of their own decision making can be difficult and painful for both adults and children concerned. They have to be taken. No young chick learns to fly by sitting in the nest surrounded by broken eggshells.

So telling the truth is vitally important, for the consequence of telling a lie can go far beyond the individual incident. Trust is broken, a seed of doubt is sown and insecurity follows.

A few days ago, on April 4th  we marked the anniversary of the assassination in 1968 of an American preacher, Martin Luther King, shot on the balcony of a Memphis hotel, a voice of fearless honesty if ever there was one. He looked at the America of the 60s and told it as he saw it. In doing so he has left us many famous and recognisable lines. He was not frightened of truth, he lived it and paid the consequences.

There are many times when truth is questioned whether it be in the public forum debates of our secular society or when we question matters of faith as we try to come to an understanding of belief. That questioning is a valid component of the journey, it is the way we test the ground, looking for security before taking the next step.

Hesitancy is understandable when the challenge that faces us seems incomprehensible, when the security of what once was gives way to trepidation for what lies ahead. Repeatedly in the Gospel narrative we hear of Jesus telling his disciples, 'Do not be afraid'. Given the difficulties that have recently faced in the Church, our confidence in the future must again be built on the foundation of those words.

Just as chastising a young person is pretty pointless without examination of their back story, so too critical comment on the experience of 'being Church' gets us nowhere without taking notice of how we reached this particular point of pause. The challenge then is one of honesty, even with the uncomfortable detail, always searching for the answer to Pilate's unanswered question- What is truth?

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