“The Fianna was the prestigious war band of the hero Fionn mac Cumhail, whose honour was bound up in their maintenance of truth, as their motto says; “Truth in our hearts, strength in our hands, consistency upon our tongues.”
If we divert truth in pursuit of our ambitions, however marginal the lie, we also divert the course of our honour; we weaken our soul’s thread. It is often easier to lie than to admit the truth. To state our honest objections, to cut across the dishonesty of those with whom we associate, to challenge falsehood in the workplace or in high places may seem a kind of foolhardiness today.
The practice of honesty is a daily exercise that hones our integrity. In both trivial and important actions, the experienced truth-bearer is like a hero who has practised her sword strokes so many times that she can cleave though thistledown with accuracy and perception.
The integrity of truth offers us a clean way of dealing in our lives – a way of dealing that sets down better and more honourable patterns upon which our society can be reformed.”
Caitlin Matthews
King Edward Street Chapel 