“The Loving Thing is Not Always the Nice Thing.” A Call to Witness to Truth (Father Simon Says)

Fr. Simon shares real truth in this episode of Father Simon Says. He talks to you about the tough side of love, how standing up for truth isn’t always going to win you popularity contests, but it’s what real love demands.

He starts with this gut-wrenching story of parents who refused to say “no” to their child, thinking they were being loving by never limiting her. It ended in tragedy, showing that true love sometimes requires us to say hard things to protect the people we care about. It’s a reminder that our goal is not always about being “nice”; it’s about willing the good of the other.

Fr. Simon challenges us, as Catholics, to not shy away from the difficult conversations, especially when it comes to our faith. Like, if your best friend is getting married outside of the Church, you’re not doing them a favor by pretending everything’s cool. Real love? It means standing firm, even if it means someone is mad at you for it. That’s hard, right? Fr. Simon says that love is willing the good of the other, not just doing what makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy. He asks you to stand firm and do not attend a non-sacramental wedding. If you need to, go to the party afterwards. But don’t act like you’re celebrating a wedding and be sure to get them a religious gift, not a specific wedding gift.

He even shared a personal story about being howled at by a relative for refusing to attend a wedding that was not sacramental. Ouch. Fr. Simon knew that showing love in this situation meant standing up for what was right, even if it broke his heart to do so. He knew that compromising on his beliefs would be denying Christ, and what’s loving about that?

His big point? Love isn’t the same as “being nice.” Sometimes, love is tough. Love is brave. Love says the hard things because it’s looking out for someone’s eternal good. And yes, that can make things super uncomfortable, but it’s what we’re called to do as Catholics.

So next time you’re caught between “keeping the peace” and standing for truth, remember Fr. Simon’s advice: choose love, even if it’s not the nice or easy thing. 💪🙏

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Jake Moore serves as a Digital Audio Content Producer for Relevant Radio®. He is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, and is passionate about classic movies, Christian music, young adult ministry, and leading this generation to Christ through compelling media. You can listen to more of his podcasts at relevantradio.com and on the Relevant Radio® app.