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On Monday of the 5th week of Lent, the first reading told how the intervention of a young man named Daniel prevented a total miscarriage of justice. He questioned the verdict and sentence for adultery passed on Susanna which resulted in her case being re-examined. A very different verdict was ultimately reached. It would not have happened had Daniel remained silent.
There was much in this story that reflects what it is happening in society today. Firstly, the word of Susanna, a woman and the victim in this story, who protested her innocence, was not believed. However, we are told that “because Susanna’s accusers were elders of the people and judges, the assembly believed them and condemned Susanna to death”. They were also men in a society where the testimony of women was generally not accepted. In the many enquiries into child abuse that have been carried out we have learned how often the stories of victims, or their parents, were not believed. On the other hand, because of their status and standing in the community, the word of perpetrators was accepted at face value. Many women who have been sexually abused or assaulted have not come forward or spoken out but kept their experience secret for fear they would not be believed.
Much the same fate happened to many whistle blowers who have revealed to the public or to the police wrongdoing happening within organisations, companies and even governments. They have not been believed but often vilified as being disloyal and then fired. The adage about not washing dirty linen in public applies not just to families but to other groups in society. The response to the exposure of wrongdoing has often been to close ranks and block all attempts to get to the truth. In many cases coverups happened which meant that wrongdoing was allowed to continue, and more victims were affected.
The other feature in the story was the blatant lies told by the two elders in their attempts to shift blame from themselves and their attempt to force Susanna to accept their advances. Angry at her refusal they made up a story about finding Susanna with a young man. They ended by saying “This is our statement, and we testify to its truth”. We are exposed daily to examples of blatant lies, half-truths and alternative facts. These have so muddied the waters that is it getting harder to tell truth from fiction. It also creates the impression that lying is not a problem. One of John Shea’s stories is about a grandmother telling her grandchild about what makes life good and what tears it down. She tells him that “lying destroys families”. In the first series of the BBC drama Unforgotten there is a powerful portrayal of how lies, secrets and silence around a single event in the past ripples out causing great pain and suffering to individuals, families and communities. It went on for years until the truth finally emerged.
The amazing aspect of this story is that once Daniel, the whistle blower in this story, spoke out, he was listened to and invited to participate in the recalled court case. Though just a young man they recognised in him the gift of wisdom given by God and used it to change the outcome of this story. I think we have come a long way along the path of listening to victims and whistle blowers and believing them and setting up processes whereby true justice can be delivered. Hopefully this continues and we can draw some of our inspiration for doing do from the stories of Daniel and Susanna.
On Lies, Secrets and Silence is a book by Adrienne Rich
Fr Pat O'Shea lives and works in Aotearoa/New Zealand
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