20220919 LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
19 September, 2022, Monday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Proverbs 3:27-34 © |
The Lord blesses the home of the virtuous
My son, do not refuse a kindness to anyone who begs it,
if it is in your power to perform it.
Do not say to your neighbour, ‘Go away! Come another time!
I will give it you tomorrow’, if you can do it now.
Do not plot harm against your neighbour
as he lives unsuspecting next door.
Do not pick a groundless quarrel with a man
who has done you no harm.
Do not emulate the man of violence,
never model your conduct on his;
for the wilful wrong-doer is abhorrent to the Lord,
who confides only in honest men.
The Lord’s curse lies on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the virtuous.
He mocks those who mock,
but accords his favour to the humble.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 14(15):2-5 © |
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue.
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honours those who fear the Lord.
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
He who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a man will stand firm for ever.
The just will live in the presence of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | James1:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt5:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your light must shine in the sight of men,
so that, seeing your good works,
they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 8:16-18 © |
Anyone who has will be given more
Jesus said to the crowds:
‘No one lights a lamp to cover it with a bowl or to put it under a bed. No, he puts it on a lamp-stand so that people may see the light when they come in. For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light. So take care how you hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.’
LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [PROVERBS 3:27-34; LUKE 8:16-18]
Jesus said, “Nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light.” These words of our Lord should remind us that things cannot be hidden for long and all things will be revealed, if not on earth, at the end of time. In truth, there is no secret on earth. For that reason, it is better to walk in the light at all times. In other words, as the psalmist tells us, “The just will live in the presence of the Lord.”
Because we know that what is kept secret will be revealed in time, many of us live in fear when we have done wrong in life, more so if it is a crime we have committed. Even though we might be apparently doing well in life, yet we are not happy. This is because we have secret and hidden sins which we dare not reveal. We live in anxiety and fear that one day our past sins and our failures, or even current and ongoing sins, will be exposed.
Indeed, we can never be happy regardless of our wealth and other material security when our heart is insecure because of dishonesty. We might have a beautiful bed but we cannot sleep. We have good food but cannot eat in peace. Those who cheat and steal can never find peace with ill-gotten gains. So long as we take what is not ours, we cannot be at peace because we are living on stolen goods, “for the willful wrong-doer is abhorrent to the Lord, who confides only in honest men.” Cheating is not confined only to money but in relationships as well. When we cheat on our friends, our loved ones especially, or our spouse, we can never find peace in that extra-marital or irregular relationship. We rationalize that it is all right because of certain circumstances. We try to justify our actions but deep within our hearts, our conscience condemns us. It speaks so loudly in our heart, robbing us of our peace and joy.
Then there are many who do not have peace in their hearts because of addictions, especially to drugs, sex, and gambling. Those addicted to drugs are afraid to let their loved ones know about their addiction. Often, by the time they are discovered, it is too late. But even if those hidden sins are not criminal, such as those sins involving sex, pornography, and gambling, they are shameful and often not confessed. More so if you are Catholic, or worse still, an active Catholic in Church! We would do all these things under cover for fear of being recognized. When confronted we would deny vehemently that we are addicted. We claim that these are pure fun. So long as our conscience is not clear, we know that what we are doing is wrong.
Peace comes only when we do what is right and just. This is what the psalmist tells us. “Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He who walks without fault; he who acts with justice and speaks the truth from his heart; he who does not slander with his tongue. He who does no wrong to his brother; who casts no slur on his neighbor; who holds the godless in disdain, but honours those who fear the Lord. He who keeps his pledge, come what may; who takes no interest on a loan and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a man will stand firm forever.” Otherwise, we will always live in fear of being discovered. That will bring shame to us and our family; cause us to lose our friends and sometimes our reputation and even our livelihood. So it is better to walk in the light than to walk in darkness. To walk in the light is to walk in the presence of the Lord, knowing that He is watching us in whatever we do. We can deceive the world but we cannot cheat ourselves. Most of all, we cannot cheat God. That is why we feel disgusted with ourselves.
In truth, being frail and mortal beings, because of our fallen nature we can expect to fall into sin or succumb to our human weaknesses. We should never condemn ourselves when we fail in Christian charity or in truth. This is the reason why God sent our Lord to reveal to us His unconditional love and mercy. Most of all, He came to assure us that in His humanity, He understands our struggles against sin and the temptations of the Evil One. So He wants to offer us forgiveness and His strength that comes from grace, to overcome sin. We cannot be perfect by our own efforts alone but solely with the help of the Holy Spirit.
The real problem is because we keep our sins hidden from God and from others. We harbour all our secret sins and this puts unnecessary burden on our guilt. The more we try to hide or suppress them, the more they will manifest themselves in neurosis. Hidden sins have to do with the sin of pride. We fear shame and pain. But by not talking about our fears, we end up neurotic, depressed and often wild imaginations of punishment and frightening dreams will haunt us to no end.
Hidden sins and unconfessed sins are the weapons that the devil uses to put fear into our hearts and so cripple us from finding peace and joy in our lives. When that happens, we become quarrelsome, picking fights with others for no reason, irritable, angry, and suspicious of others. We allow our past to cripple us from living in the present. If we cannot forgive ourselves or find forgiveness, there will be no healing. Those of us who sinned and then refuse to confess them because of shame and fear, have already begun the prison sentence even before being discovered. We sentence ourselves to our crimes and our sins and suffer silently without others knowing it.
Hidden sins will destroy all that we have, including our friends and loved ones. When we live in guilt, we will end up fighting and quarrelling with our loved ones. They will be so hurt and can no longer talk to us. Without open and sincere communication, there will be no trust, breeding suspicions. Besides destroying our family and marriage, our health will also suffer. With poor health and guilt, we cannot do our work or run our business with peace of mind either. So even if we have everything in the house but because we know that we live a dishonest life, cheating those whom we love and serve, we cannot do anything well.
So let us take the first step to find peace by admitting that we are sinners or that we are addicts or that we have committed some grave sins. Acknowledgement of sins and contrition for our sins that have caused so many to be hurt, including ourselves, is the first step to true liberation and freedom. Spending time to examine our conscience is necessary to realizing our problems. When we do not acknowledge and name our sins, the devil will continue to deceive us by helping us to justify our actions. But when we humbly recognize our sins because God has said so in the bible and through the Church, we confess our ignorance and our wrongs. If many are not healed of their past, it is because they never truly come to grasp their past mistakes but simply gloss over them.
Once that is done, we need to share our worries, fears, and struggles with someone whom we can trust. If we have a confidant whom we can share with, that would be ideal. But we must make sure that this person is trustworthy and mature enough to offer us guidance and thoughtful reflection and encouragement on what we are doing. Speaking and sharing our shame with those who are very close to us will bring about the first stage of healing. Unloading our guilt and shame, sharing our griefs and tears with someone who is empathetic with our situation will bring much relief and peace. But sometimes, this is not sufficient because we need the forgiveness of God. We need to know that God has forgiven us.
For this reason, the Church has given us the Sacrament of reconciliation. This is the most beautiful gift of Christ to the Church. Unlike in other situations and even professions, no sharing is absolutely confidential. But in the confessional, no priest, under the pain of mortal sin and excommunication, can reveal the sin of the penitents to anyone under whatever circumstances. There is absolute secrecy in confession. Thus, confession is never done through the phone, email or letter, but always in person. To allow a person to confess freely so that he can be healed of his shame and guilt, the Church gives the penitent the option of confessing face to face with the priest or behind the curtain. The Church respects the privacy of the penitent and his sensitivity. What the Church wishes is that we do not harbour our private and hidden sins, especially the shameful and embarrassing ones so that we can be set free from guilt, and find peace and joy again. The confessional therefore is one place where one is set free without conditions and with respect and compassion for those who have failed. A good confessor is one who is sensitive, patient, compassionate, forgiving and encouraging to the penitent. Confession must be done personally so that the person can experience not just a juridical forgiveness but the personal presence of Christ forging and healing him.
Next, we must choose to walk in the light and in the truth. Walking in His presence at all times will give us true and lasting peace even when things do not turn out the way we want. Let us take heed of the warning of our Lord, “So take care how you hear; for anyone who has will be given more; from anyone who has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away.” The psalmist also warns us in the same vein. “The Lord’s curse lies on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the virtuous. He mocks those who mock, but accords his favour to the humble.” So let us walk in the light and also be the light in the world as Christ commands us. The best way to fight sin and evil is to live in truth, in good and be the light for others.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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