Our Desires Can Lead To Self-Deception

Reflections: Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Rev. Fr. Celestino Say


On the Sunday before Lent began we heard the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Between the beginning and the end of the Sermon on the Mount is a parade of powerful principles so important to our practice of the Christian life. Today’s Gospel points up one particular warning that Jesus has for his audience and for us that we had better pay attention to.

“On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and did we not do many deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”

These words are quite shocking. What is shocking is that here Jesus is not talking about those who were against him. The people that Jesus is referring to seem to be among the leaders in the Christian community. And yet, these are the very ones that Jesus rejects.

A question that comes out of today’s Gospel reading is this: Why were people surprised when Jesus rejected them? It’s clear that their surprise is genuine. They somehow thought that they were part of the “in crowd”; that life was going along just fine. And the words of Jesus tore through them like a hurricane and destroyed their self-satisfied way of looking at their lives.

Here lies the clue. They seemed to be satisfied with themselves. That’s why they quote to Jesus how good they have been. They made the mistake of being their own judges, and in their eyes, they saw themselves as very good.

If we believe the words of the Gospel, then we have to admit that self-deception is a big problem that we can’t afford to neglect. The consequences are disastrous.

A person is deceiving himself when they believe that something they judge to be right is not right. And then they act out of that wrong judgment. But self-deception involves more than being mistaken in our thinking. It often is a result of the fact that we want something to be true because we desire that thing.

Often, it is our desires, not our thinking, that leads to self-deception. We want something which we know we shouldn’t have, and we want it so badly that we twist our thinking to suit ourselves. And then we end up telling ourselves that this thing that we want is acceptable in our particular situation.

So what is the answer to this problem? Is it just a matter of thinking differently? Having a high intellectual capacity may not be a guarantee that we are seeing things the right way. In fact, a person who may be highly educated can, at times, be in even more danger of self-deception. The reason is because such a person can be good at using his reason to justify behaviors that are clearly wrong.

St. Augustine suggests another route. He says that love of God can bring us self-understanding, because true love for God can reveal those desires and motivations that lie hidden in the heart.

In his Confessions, St. Augustine says that the solution to this thorny problem of self-deception will not come from his own ability to reflect upon himself, but from God. He says: “what I know of myself I know through the shining of your light; and what I do not know of myself, I continue not to know until my darkness shall be made as noonday in Your continence.”

This is not to say that we should give up using our mind when it comes to self-understanding, but if we believe what St. Augustine is saying, it points us in the direction of a closer union with God. If we open ourselves to God’s love and try to consciously live in God’s presence, then God will help us to see the truth of who we are and what we are doing.

We often see this in the lives of people who are not highly educated, but who strive to be close to God. They seem to instinctively know who they are and what they are to do. Their love for God is shown in their humility and in their compassion for others. If you have known someone like this, then you have been blessed. I pray we can all open ourselves to God’s self-revealing love.

GOD Loves us!

All At Once or One At a Time

ENLIGHTENED PERSPECTIVE


(If you will take the time to read the article, you'll most probably come away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis. They're written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words.)

Enjoy .......

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me,'You've made my day!' makes my day.

I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep on your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help in some other way.

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned.... That we should be glad GOD doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned.... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned.... That everyone we meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with that person.

I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones we miss.

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve our looks.

I've learned.... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, you're hooked for life.

I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

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I hope you found these learnings worthwhile sharing with your family & friends.