Trapped and poisoned by ‘goodness’

We have to be most wary of this phenomenon, a common sad occurrence in the life of the so-called ‘good people,’ those who frequent churches, do some prayers, active in popular piety, etc., but who often end up being judgmental, quick to brand people and to find fault, impatient with others, especially those with obvious defects and mistakes, and very opinionated who can hardly tolerate other opinions.

This phenomenon is iconized in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. (cfr Lk 18,10-14) The Pharisee was the epitome of goodness and correctness. He fasted twice a week, gave tithes of all what he possessed. But his righteousness converted his prayer into a boast, and it simply showed he was separated from God.

The publican considered himself the receptacle of all possible moral sewage. He could hardly lift up his eyes toward heaven. His prayer dripped with compunction, but it reconciled him with God.

We have to understand that good and evil is a matter of whether one is with God or not. Good is good because one is with God. Evil is evil because he is not with God. It’s as simple as that.

Our problem is that instead of referring things-our thoughts, words and actions-to God, we refer them only to our own idea of what is good and evil. And usually it is based on some worldly values like practicality, popularity, convenience, etc.

Not much wrong there really. After all, all things we do have to be referred to our own idea of good and evil. Except that it’s an idea that has been severed from its proper source and basis-God himself.

In short, we make ourselves our own God, our ultimate source of what is good and bad, what is right and wrong. That’s where the problems come in, where the bugs and viruses enter to corrupt our otherwise good idea. That’s where we get trapped and poisoned by our own idea of ‘goodness.’

That is why, everyday and very often during the day we need to check whether our idea of good and evil is still vitally linked with God. We have to be wary with our tendency to just flow in a certain routine and inertia of goodness that has already deadened our living connection with God.

Most vulnerable to this anomaly are those gifted with some high intelligence and other talents. They tend to regard themselves as superior to others and thus to look down on them, to expect to be served by them, etc.

We should never think that our talents, gifts, blessings and other privileges and advantages we can have in life are a right to lord it over others, or to be proud and vain, or to expect more privileges. They are never meant to make us feel superior to others, turning us into conceited persons.

If ever, these things should only make us more aware of the greater responsibility we have to contribute to the common good. That consideration, which we should try to be with us always, should sober us and stop us from making fantastic, baseless ideas of ourselves.

These gifts and blessings should make us more humble and more responsible, as well as more discerning as to what God has in mind for their proper use. That’s because when not referred to God, these things can have no other effect than to spoil us.

And that’s when we, unwittingly perhaps, lead ourselves down the road to a blinding self-righteousness. We have to be most wary of this danger which is very common and can come to us in subtle ways.

What is ideal is that our blessings and other divine and natural gifts should be regarded and used with humility, gratitude and the eagerness to serve the others. Otherwise they become very poisonous.

The real saints and heroes never thought it beneath them to suffer the inadequacies and the mistakes of others, following the example of Christ who even went to the extent of washing the feet of his apostles, and who clearly said that he came to serve and not to be served.

Since any authority on earth is a participation of the authority of God, those who have it, especially the sacred ministers, should see to it that the exercise of their authority would make others see Christ instead of their own selves.

We have to follow the example of St. John the Baptist who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3,30)