Saturday, June 3, 2017

The concern for accountability



            YES, we should all have an abiding concern for accounting
everything that we are and that we have. We just cannot go on with our
life as if we are not answerable to anybody, especially to God, from
whom we all come and to whom we all belong.

            This is an indispensable part of our life, an
unrelinquishable duty to perform. Our problem is that many still are
ignorant of this duty, and of those who already know about this, the
tendency is to take it for granted or to do it badly or to avoid it if
always given the chance.

            We need to find a way of instilling this duty in everyone,
starting with oneself and then encouraging others to do the same, in
the context of the families, schools, parishes, offices, etc.

            We always have to remember that what we are and what we
have are not self-generated but are always given to us one way or
another, if not by someone or by some other institution and authority,
then by God ultimately.

            Yes, we are always answerable to some people in varying
ways and degrees. These people can be our parents, teachers, friends,
neighbors, public officials, etc. In the end, we are all answerable to
God who has given us everything, starting with our life and all the
endowments that go with our life.

            We need to smash the thought that what we are and what we
have are just our own. That is a thinking that is completely false,
that stands on no objective foundation.  It needs to be corrected
drastically and urgently.

            Sad to say, it is a thinking that is quite prevalent these
days. And so we need to be constantly reminded of this truth, because
we always tend to ignore if not openly deny it.

            We have to be most aware of where we come from, what
dignity and status we are given, what duties and responsibilities are
entrusted to us, etc. And let’s remember that we need to handle them
properly.

            That is to say, that we are keenly aware of the purpose or
reason the giver or author has when giving us what we are and what we
have. And we should try to make use of them in the best way we can,
making them as productive as possible.

            Since man’s creation, God our creator has always told us
to be fruitful. “Be fruitful and multiply,” he said. “Fill the earth
and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the
sky…” (Gen 1,28)

            And this command has been constantly reiterated all the
way to Christ who in many parables told us clearly to be fruitful. The
parable of the three servants (cfr Mt 25,14-30) is one example among
many.

            We have to learn how to be accountable to God and to
others. One concrete way of doing that is by making a daily
examination of conscience before going to bed. This will allow us to
see how we fared during the day, whether we were fruitful or not, and
to make the necessary plans for the following day.

            “Without cost you have received. Without cost you are to
give.” (Mt 10,8) For sure, with these words of Christ, we are strongly
reminded to be generous, to give ourselves completely to God and to
others, sparing and keeping nothing for ourselves, because God has
been generous with us. He gave nothing less than himself to us. And he
wants us to share what we have with everybody else.

            This should be the attitude we ought to develop when we
have an abiding concern for accounting all that we have received from
God.

            We should never marginalize, much less, ignore, the Holy
Spirit in our education.


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