Fr. Jerry Pokorsky: The Eucharist and Other Enemies of the State

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture, June 20, 2022

Among the many lessons learned in recent years is the necessity of fact-checking every narrative. USA Today removed 23 stories from its web site following an audit that revealed a reporter’s fabrications. The reporter was a liar, and she dishonored her profession. In her small way, her misrepresentations distorted history. She is not alone. But in a rare victory for journalistic integrity, she was caught. A comment appended to the story read: “What else is new? Religions do the same.”

Our perception of reality depends upon real-life encounters, honesty, and our ability to use the correct terms to describe or define our experiences. When in doubt, we consider the history of the words we use by checking the definitions in the old Oxford dictionary (avoiding most modern dictionaries). When we fail, with goodwill, we recalibrate our thinking to conform to reality, using the correct word. Distortions of reality almost always begin with a deliberate redefinition of a word. Did God create us in His image and likeness? Or do we invent reality according to our image and likeness? …

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