Dear
Parishioners,
In
my 4th grade classroom—many,
many moons ago—a certain incident
occurred where the religious sister in charge tried to get to the bottom of an
apparent theft. As I recall, something was
allegedly taken from her desk and no one in the class wanted to own up to it. Her solution to finding out the culprit was
to have each of us look at the crucifix and acknowledge our guilt or innocence
before the Lord. Tell the truth and shame the devil! she exhorted us. Funny how I still remember this day with its many
details and the moral teaching (honesty, truthfulness, integrity) she tried to
convey to her young, impressionable students.
I
think that this lesson can be applied in various situations today, beginning with
ourselves. We should make an examination of conscience each and every
day of our lives. This might be best
suited to (but is not limited to) bedtime.
Looking honestly at our actions of the day, perhaps kneeling before a
crucifix, keeps us humble and focused on what
I have done and what I have failed to
do—words we recite during the Confiteor
at Mass. This daily examen can help us prepare properly for a thorough confession
of our sins in the Sacrament of Penance
and Reconciliation.
In addition to frequent confession, I urge people to
be brutally honest in confession.
If we were standing (or more appropriately prostrate) before God on
Judgment Day, instead of being in the confessional, there will be no rationalization, no justification, no ambiguity. No one is ever
going to make Almighty God the fool.
While the priest is the minister of the sacrament, God is the Ultimate Judge. Imagine what it is like to see ourselves as
God sees us and not as we want to present ourselves to others. God
does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The LORD looks into the
heart. (1 Sam. 16: 7) Still, we should be ever
confident of God’s abundant mercy, when we are honest with Him and with ourselves.
The home is the
first classroom and parents are the first teachers. Do as I
say and not as I do never made any sense to me. If you want your kids to be honest, then do
not lie to them. If you want your
children to do the right things, then you need to set the example. Children, like sponges, absorb many things.
Another situation calling for honesty and integrity is in the
daily workplace or school.
Have I become complacent with little
white lies, gossip, “borrowing” things from the workplace/school
and not returning them, etc.? Do I hide or
compromise my religious beliefs in order to be politically correct? Can I be trusted? Ponder these words of wisdom for a few
moments: The true test of character is what I would do even if no one ever found
out. In truth, God sees everything. Yes, everything.
At this point in history, we need much more honesty and
integrity in the Church universal. When the US bishops meet next week in
Baltimore, will there be truth and transparency regarding the never-ending priest
sex abuse scandal, or will we see some well-crafted statements prepared by
attorneys or media experts? Will any guilty bishops actually be held
accountable? Tell the truth and shame the devil.
We need more thorough answers and not silence in response to all of Archbishop ViganĂ²’s
allegations. Tell the truth and shame the devil.
Is any sign of remorse or admission of guilt forthcoming from the disgraced
Archbishop McCarrick? Tell the truth and shame the devil. I could go on and on.
Admitting guilt, taking responsibility, and telling the truth
often require courage and adherence to a properly-formed conscience. While it may be easier to lie so as to protect
one’s image and reputation, the truth will
come out in the end.
Better that it occurs
now, before eternity is spent in company with the Father of Lies.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor