Plato once said that “No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth.” Time and time again, the philosopher’s words have been proven right. 

One of the threats to our quest to live as disciples of Jesus is our desire to be universally liked. This desire often leads us away from anyone or anything that challenges us to fearlessly speak the truth, no matter how controversial. 

We’ve all been torn between saying what we know to be true and what we know others want to hear. The truth can be uncomfortable, and defending it can make you unpopular. So we bite our tongues and echo the crowd, choosing to be liked rather than speaking the truth. 

St. Cornelius’ life would have been a lot easier if he’d given into the pressure to bite his tongue. 

From the moment that Cornelius was elected pope, he found himself caught between two opposing crowds. As the Church came out of a period of persecution, the issue at hand was whether Catholics who had apostatized, or rejected their faith, could be allowed back into the Church. One group argued that all apostates should be allowed to return with few repercussions, if any at all. The other group wanted to deny absolution to the apostates, under any circumstances. The pressure was on, and with the salvation of souls in question, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. 

It would have been easiest for Cornelius to take one of these opposing stances, gaining at least some support at the beginning of his papacy. Instead, he boldly proclaimed the truth—and by doing so, made both sides unhappy. The apostates would be lovingly welcomed back into the fold, he declared, but not without practicing an appropriate penance.

Later, when persecution ramped up again, Cornelius remained dedicated to the truth. He refused to abandon his faith and died in exile.

The need for other people’s approval is in direct opposition to discipleship. Our desire to be liked will prevent us from speaking hard to hear truths. But as we grow spiritually, we become less interested in people’s opinions and more interested in God’s. As we grow spiritually, our need for the affirmation and approval of others diminishes. For we discover that any opinion that opposes God’s opinion is not worth having.



Feast Day: September 16

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Euphemia and Blessed Victor III

Patron Saint of: Earache, Epilepsy, Fever, Twitching, and Of Cattle

Symbols: A Cow's Horn