Tuesday of the 7th Week of Eastertide
Acts 20:17-27 | Psalm 67(68):10-11,20-21 | John 17:1-11
And so here and now I swear that my conscience is clear as far as all of you are concerned (Acts 20:26)
My conscience is clear.
He would have reported me to the police, and my kids would have to grow up without a father…so I ran him over with my car. He’s single, so no one will miss him.
My conscience is clear.
I can’t break my gambling habit, and my company’s doing well…so I’ll take some money from them to pay my debts.
My conscience is clear.
She’s been smearing my reputation with her endless gossip…so I’ll tell you about her extramarital affairs.
My conscience is clear.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
It’s unnerving how often we see people do wrong, while claiming to be untroubled. Blessed are the “gong-gong”, they tell themselves, secure in the belief that they can sleep soundly, because they deliberately avoid giving thought to the appropriateness of their actions.
How often do we do the same?
How often do we claim to be upright Christians, yet avoid examining our lives in preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation? How often do we convince ourselves that this Sacrament is of no relevance to our daily living?
How often do we scurry like cockroaches, unable to bear the blinding Light of Truth that is Jesus Christ Himself?
We are sinners; of that, there can be no doubt. Instead of trying to drown out or ignore the quiet voice within us, why not acknowledge that which seeks to guide us, embracing the Spirit of Truth and Love, the Spirit of God’s will?
As we enter the fifth day of the Novena to the Holy Spirit, why not blissfully embrace the gift of the Spirit that is Knowledge, and thus bring our conscience to full bloom in our hearts?
The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth–in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. “Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it.”
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen.