Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
By Melanie Rigney
So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record." (Romans 4:6-8)
Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide. I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,” and you took away the guilt of my sin. (Psalms 32:5)
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.” (Luke 12:2-3)
Piety
Lord, I am a modern-day Pharisee—proud of the rote ways in which I honor Your name but struggling with the dark places inside me. Love me even as You shine Your light to heal them.
Study
I love my parish. Like any other institution that involves humans, it’s got its problems. But big picture, we’ve got great homilists, creative staff and lay leaders, and an engaged, welcoming congregation.
So why did I spent most of last summer at a nearby parish where I don’t know a soul, where the only words I said to anyone before, during, or after Mass were “Peace be with you” and “Amen” when I was offered the Body of Christ?
I couldn’t put my finger on it. I told a few close friends I needed some “alone” time with God during Mass instead of yoo-hooing and hugging everyone. For the most part, they let it go—even though they knew I’d been doing fine earlier with getting my “alone” time with occasional visits to a nearby perpetual adoration chapel. Then, I began encountering fellow parishioners on the street who asked, all in God’s voice, “I miss seeing you at Mass.” “Did you move? You’re never at church anymore.” “Have you been on vacation? It’s not the same without your smile.”
It wasn’t until one wise friend simply asked, “What’s really up with you not going to your parish anymore?” that I pinpointed a small piece of darkness I had been pushing to the back of my conscience. Nothing that in and of itself would put me out of grace. But the potential was there. And because I hadn’t gone to God and my confessor with it, I thought subconsciously that it would be easier to worship and receive the Eucharist someplace where I wouldn’t find friendly faces and conversations.
For me, that turned out not to be worship at all. So, after a long talk with God, I put away the bit of darkness and concealment.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus reminds us nothing can be concealed from God. The other readings encourage us to go to God in time of trouble so that we might be filled “with the joy of salvation.” For while we are saved by grace alone, our journey through this life is made easier by community, light, and forgiveness. And none of those happens in a vacuum.
Action
Talk with a priest or in prayer with God about something you are holding in darkness. Let the light shine in.
