Monday
Twenty-fifth Week
Ordinary Time
For there is nothing hidden that will become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known
and come to light.
Luke 8:17
A deeply spiritual and profound thinker classmate during my early seminary days recently made this observation: "... when we sin, well, we are saying 'there is no God.'" The sinner wants to think that God will not be aware of the sinful action and that God will simply let the action slide.
Bartoni, The Prodigal Son
Fr.Gawronski, SJ called to mind an Oriental story. We modern Americans would probably tell the story this way: "Once upon a time there was a restaurant owner who told his hiree to take a chicken to some place where no one would have the ability to see what he was ordered to do. Take the chicken and kill it. After being absent for a day or two, the hiree returns with the chicken ... nowhere near dead. Of course the boss was surprised and asked why the chicken was still alive. The hiree told the boss that "everywhere I went the chicken could see."
There are no secrets from God no matter how cleverly a sinner might try to hide his/her sinfulness. It is an old sentence but one that will always be true: "God knows everything."
So, when sin has become a part of one's life, we must come before our "boss," our God, to a moment of reconciliation. This same God, offended by sin, does not exact punishment immediately. What he offers the sinner is the opportunity to pour out the human weaknesses. He extends his open arms of forgiveness. He embraces the goodness in the sinner that was given at the moment of conception through his loving mercy. His penance for the sinner is simply the request to "live in the Truth." He only asks the sinner to live life in his sight.
