Bible Study: 2
Samuel 7, 18 to 29. And Mark 4, 21 to 25.
The words of Jesus Christ in today’s Gospel passage are words
that cut deep into the heart. Basically Jesus is saying: “there is nothing
hidden that will not be exposed somehow, someday.” The truth is that the
greatest obstacle many Christians face in their attempt to break free from
sinfulness is the lure of secrecy.
I once read a story about a very holy man. One day he was
visited by a lady who wanted to tempt him to sin. She said to him: “Just do
this favour for me and I bet you will go to confession after and God will not
hold the sin against you.” He responded by saying, “Fine, no problem but I will
show you where you can do it.” The lady was excited as the man held her hands
tenderly and took her for a walk. When they got to a very busy market, with
people all over the place, the man said to her: “Ok, you may go ahead now,
right here.” She ran away as fast as her legs could carry her.
Dear friends, why is it that we are afraid of what people think
or say about us but we are not afraid of God who alone has the power to destroy
both body and soul in hell?
To be truly repentant is to become a person of integrity; a
person whose sense of right and wrong is not dependent on whether or not people
are watching or aware; a person who does what is right regardless of place,
time, circumstances or situation. You are not fully repentant if you still
believe that certain things are “okay” as long as nobody is seeing you or that
nobody will ever get to know.
The word secret is meaningless because nothing is ever hidden
forever. It is just a matter of time. When you sincerely tell yourself this truth,
your actions become modelled according to the principle of “no-secrets” and you
would find the strength to continue doing only what is right even when no one
else is watching. Just as a lamp when turned on cannot be hidden, know that by
virtue of being a Christian, there is nothing you do that is hidden. You keep
shining always, you either emanate goodness or evil. You either show good
example or bad example. You continue to shine even when you think no one is
aware of what you are doing.
If at all, you have any secrets, let it be that when those
secrets are exposed, you will be proud of their contents. In his letter to
Timothy St. Paul advises us: “The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the
place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the
same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden.”
1st Timothy 5, 24 to 25. Life
is less stressful when we are not worried about what others are thinking about
us or afraid of getting exposed someday. Some years ago, a person like Bill
Cosby was considered as a national hero by many but today, the things he did
supposedly in secret have become his ruin.
St. Thomas Aquinas whose feast we celebrate today can best be
described as one of the greatest minds that ever lived. You cannot study
theology without an encounter with St. Thomas Aquinas. His closeness to God and
personal devotion coupled with his rich intellectual prowess made of him a
monk, a teacher and a thinker. He is the patron saint of catholic schools,
colleges and students.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, give me the grace of true repentance that I may
serve you in integrity no matter the circumstance, time, place or situation I
find myself. Amen.
God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is
well with you.
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