Lies and jealousy are sins which some may have committed due to personal pride. Some of us feel insecure and do not want to lose out or want to appear to be greater than we really are. Some of us may become extremely jealous of other people's accomplishments or abilities, and we may begin to spread lies or other forms of false information just to belittle or put down others. This is exactly what happened to those certain people in today's reading, who came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom and what did they do? They procured some men to bear false witness against Stephen; then having in this way turned the people against him as well as the elders and scribes, they took Stephen by surprise, and arrested him and brought him before the Sanhedrin. People can do evil and despicable things, when they are blinded by jealousy and lies.
Are we just as guilty in being jealous and spreading lies in this way, just to make ourselves look good and to protect our interests? Is our face or pride more important to us in this temporary life? Sometimes the truth may come out and the lies we spread would be exposed, and to try and cover up further, we may end up lying more or committing even greater sins. How much more can we avoid the truth? May we be wise enough to finally accept ourselves as we really are, and be humble enough to be truthful to ourselves and to others.
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