The sense of accountability

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be

required. And from him who has been entrusted with much, even more

will be demanded.” (Lk 12,48) Words of Christ that clearly tell us we

need to sharpen our sense of accountability.

  

            If in our ordinary businesses, we have to do some serious

accounting, it should be much more when what is involved is our own

personal spiritual life. Nothing can be more serious than our

spiritual life.

   

            We should expand and deepen our sense of accountability to

cover not only our businesses and other earthly concerns, but also our

spiritual life. We should be accountable not only to ourselves, to our

family and to some other earthly superiors, bosses and authorities,

but also and most especially to God. After all, he is the original and

ultimate boss, our common father and creator of all.

  

            And, of course, the parameters and standards to be used

should not just be the temporal and worldly, but rather the spiritual,

moral and supernatural. We need to educate ourselves in this sense of

accountability proper to us.

  

            In the gospel, many are the references that talk about

this need for accountability. One is the parable of the talents where

a master gave his three servants different amounts to do business with

while he went away. (cfr. Mt 25,14-30) The master asked for an

accounting when he returned.

  

            We even have to account for the words we speak, as

attested in this passage of St. Matthew’s gospel: “I tell you, on the

day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they

speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you

will be condemned.” (12,36-37)

  

            St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans also said that “each

of us will give an account of himself to God.” (14,12) And in his

second letter to the Corinthians, he said: “For we must all appear

before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what

is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (5,10)

  

            We have to prepare for this judgment when we have to give

account of what we have done with what God has given us. Let’s

remember that God has given us everything that is good to us, even the

way to recover our dignity as children of God once we lose it due to

our sins. He has given us life, talents, the theological virtues,

mercy, etc.

   

            We have to do this preparation by making regular

examinations of conscience daily. We usually do it at the end of the

day, somehow prefiguring what would happen at the end of our life. We

should be ready to face God to give an accounting of our life with

eagerness, not with fear.

  

            What makes these regular examinations of conscience very

helpful is that not only would we be able to closely monitor the

progress—or the lack of it—of our spiritual life daily. We also would

have the chance to do something about what may be lacking or wrong in

our spiritual life.

   

            It cannot be denied that our spiritual life can face

tricky questions, tremendous challenges and difficulties, etc. By

making these regular examinations of conscience, we would be led to

make the appropriate plans and strategies, to do the relevant study

and research, and of course, to come up with the resources, especially

the spiritual ones, needed to tackle them.

  

            Let’s pray that this sense of accountability be imbued

into our lifestyle so that things would really go well for all of us.

This may be a quixotic dream for now, but we can always give it a try,

starting with ourselves and spreading it little by little with those

around us!