Sincerity Needed

At the bottom of most troubles is that lack of sincerity, I mean, a lack of being true to oneself. How many times the Lord Jesus reproved the Jewish Pharisees for such pretentious hypocrisy (see Mt. 23:1-39; Lk. 11: 37-54). Jesus also asked us to imitate the truthfulness of little children as a condition for entering our final destiny of happiness with God in heaven. Remember how important is that, since there are only two finalities of man, either heaven or hell, both of them forever and always. That is, a heaven of eternal bliss with God or eternal hell fire with Satan (see Mt. 25:31-46). Even in the poem Hamlet, Shakespeare expresses a fact: "to thine ownself be true and it will follow as night follows day, you will be true to every man."

What's there in children that made Jesus indignant that the disciples were turning them away: "Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (cf. Lk. 18:15; Mt. 18:2; Mt. 19:13-15; Mk. 10:13-16). What's there in a child? Think of the following adjectives: candid, frank, open, truthful, unpretentious, genuine, free from hypocrisy or pretense.

What do we see in our complicated world? A lot of hidden agenda in relationships or transactions swerving from the main goal, deception, double-talk, etc. These will not lead to God's kingdom because God is a God of truth (Jn. 14:6) while as Jesus says: "the devil is a murderer and the father of lies" (Jn. 8:44). Therefore, say what you mean and mean what you say and don't be part Satan's company. For those who don't think honest respect to superiors is of value, allow me to quote from the eminent mystic and doctor of the Church, St. John of the Cross: "God desires the least degree of obedience and submissiveness more than all those services you think of rendering him."