REPENTANCE IS LIVING A LIFE OF INTEGRITY. (Homily for January 28, 2016. Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas.)


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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