Lesson II- Pondering on Gebrehier [Mt. 25:14-] Our Challenge to be honest.
As we remember the servants of the five and the two talents have profited only because they had ‘the honesty in their job.’ As a result, they were worthy to be in charge of a big amount. But as far as of the person with one talent, his problem was dishonest, carelessness over the small thing he was called for. We learn the lesson on yearly basis and yet we lack the basic understanding why the wicked servant was condemned to hell -being dishonest over small things. It is time to make an awareness about the huge problem that we are constantly struck – the problem of dishonesty. We have always lied now and then for all reason. Some of us took the habit lying “small” as a way of life, and to our surprise, it has become a norm/ or acceptable thing we do. People usually think it is okay to see things superficially as long as they are not committing “a big sin?”. But we should remember, for the devil, the only thing that matter is the extent to which we are separated from God. It doesn’t matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect drives us away from the True knowledge of God. Murder is no better card than dishonesty or living lukewarm Christian life if it can take us an inch away from God over time. As one put it, “the safest road to Hell is the gradual one- the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without the sudden turns or without the signpost”.
The big question is why are we lying? I believe it is because we have this wrong understand about the purpose of life as basically to get what we want: a decent grade, admission to the college you want, night out clubbing- and we will twist the truth to get whatever we want. Who cares whether you lie or not as long as you got what you want. Or we lie to get away with certain behavior without question or consequences. This is not a lecture on how cheating/ lying is bad, but It is a challenge to the question of honesty. Honesty is not about getting what you want, it is bigger than that. It is about being who you are. All sin is a kind of lying. St Augustine, Against lying. But why are we dishonest?
- We are dishonest so we can get away with certain behavior [giving a million reasons not either to confessing or taking communion], avoid embarrassment and punishment.
- We are dishonest so we can stay out of trouble (you don’t mention to your parents that “going out with friends “ actually mean “going out to club forty miles away and use a fake ID to get into the party and drink.)
- We’re dishonest because we want to protect our self-esteem [Preservation of our image at all cost, even if it harms us and those who are around us]
Do all the reasons seem real to you? There is one thing that ties all the reasons – we’re dishonest because we want to avoid suffering. Who would want to suffer anyway? Think for a moment. What if all thing around is based on lies? What if your friends turn to be fake? What if your Christian life is full of dishonesty? One thing we should be aware is that whenever we try to avoid suffering by making a dishonest choice, you just end up pushing suffering away from yourself, just for a moment, Or you push it onto other people, or You are pushing it back off onto yourself in the future. Remember a virtuous life involve building habits – good habits. When you are lying, you are building a habit of lying to people you say you love and mostly to God. We will be always tempted to be dishonest. We have to lie to protect our ego and image. We have to pretend to be someone we’re not to our parents/friends/bosses so they won’t see us for what we are really doing, and of course, we have to lie a little to our friends so that they don't think we are lame. What a mess we find ourselves in -“For what we will do, that we do not practice; but what we hate, that I do [Rom. 7:14]” What a prison? O wretched men that we are! Who will deliver us from this body of death? The answer is Our Lord and Savior Christ through this practical steps-
- The First place, to be honest, is yourself. “Coming to Our Sense [Lk 15: 17]” How honest are you with yourself? Parents? Friends? “The truth will make you free”
- The second place and most important to work on honesty is with GOD. [Lk 15:21] In your prayer, in your inner life with God, don’t hold back. Be who you are. Argue, praise, thank, be sad and confused. God wants to hear it all.
- And finally be honest to your confessional Priest. [Mt 8:4]
- Having a strong will to be true to the calling and act on them deliberately- means building a more virtuous habit through the power of Holy Communion [active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened. The more often we feel -we ought to do something like confessing, repenting and being right with God,- and not act on them, the less we will be able ever to act on them, and in the long run, the less we will able to feel [called the numbing process]].
This is the way of Joy [is the life of self-restrained, deliberate decision happiness]. God is the truth, the way, and the life. Live the moment with joy and God because life is successive moments of living the present honestly.
Glory Be to God
And to His Virgin Mother
And to the Glorious Cross
Amen.
Dn. Medhanie
