In the news recently have been reports that Cesar Chavez had committed crimes against women and girls. Honors that were bestowed in his memory are being withdrawn. This is an echo of the time when Martin Luther King, Jr. was accused of being a less than ideal character, one who had faults and failings. There is something in the human spirit that likes to knock heroic figures off their pedestal. This is not a new phenomenon but goes back to Biblical times. To us he is the censure of our thoughts; merely to see him is a hardship for us, Because his life is not like that of others, and different are his ways. If we can find a flaw in someone who is challenging us to live more righteously it kind of gives us a pass. “Who is he to tell me how I should act!” But, as Jesus says in the Gospel, when you are dealing with the truth you are in the realm of God’s action, not human behavior. The one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. While the messenger may be flawed a message based on the truth must be heeded.
