Why not judge for yourselves what is right?
A corrupt traffic policeman once stopped a car for over-speeding, and then, peeping inside discovered that the driver was a priest. He then reminded him of the biblical passage we heard in today’s gospel:
In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches us that even with our God given, natural intelligence, we can work out for ourselves what is right and good, in the same way as we do so in profane matters. God’s law has been written on our hearts (Cf. Jeremiah 31:31-34). If we sin frequently, it is often not out of ignorance of what is right, but due to our weakness.
We find many texts in scripture which tell us that a life of virtue is easy. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). “If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). The Lord himself tells us: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
If it is that easy, why is it that many of us find it so difficult? Why do we keep trying and never seem to make any progress? Perhaps, it is indeed true that “We can do anything we set our mind to”, but that we need to know that it acts, perseverance, and facing our fears. Perhaps we need a new mindset. As Abraham Lincoln is quoted saying: “You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.”
