I Mean To Find Out

In our first reading from Genesis God makes this statement to Abraham. God is referring to what is happening in the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. Perhaps this is the author’s way to lead us into the passage where Abraham petitions God to save the innocent of these towns, because we believe that God knows everything. In the “Act of Faith” prayer that I recite every morning it ends with the statement that; “I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches because you have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. It is one of the things we believe about God; that He will not deceive us and we cannot deceive Him. Nothing is hidden from God! We may think that all our thoughts, words, and actions are private matters. Well, if you believe in our ‘All Knowing’ God then think again.

This truth about God may scare us, after all, who doesn’t wish we could hide some of our not so holy actions from Him? We may be able to keep these from other humans but not from God. Thankfully we have access to God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

God knows us through and through. While this can be intimidating, it can also help us lead holy lives. The fact that God knows every thought that enters our mind can help us to dismiss those thoughts that may be unhealthy for our souls; thoughts of violence toward those who we do not like, thoughts of revenge against those who have hurt us or our loved ones, thoughts of lust, etc. God knows these thoughts, and while we hope to avoid them our human conditions seem to allow them to be born within our minds. But we can stop these thoughts from gaining control of us by asking God for help. When we have one of these unholy ideas ask the Holy Spirit to help you dismiss it from your mind and remind yourself that these people you are thinking of harming are God’s daughters and sons who are loved by Him. We can recite the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus taught His disciples. These simple actions can help us control the thoughts that the Devil places in our minds.

You may know the phrase, “either you control your passions or they control you.” This applies to all aspects of our lives; our thoughts, words, and actions. So ask God to help you control those aspects of your life where you struggle. As our Gospel passage today states; How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Deacon Ray