“So do not be afraid,” Jesus tells us, “there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nothing secret that will not be made known.” “Nothing?” we wonder. Perhaps we have often thought that, if only they knew how much we have done for them, how much we have suffered, they would be astonished. If the world could only see all the good we do! But Jesus is going a bit far here. There is nothing secret that will not be made known. All the thoughts of our hearts and every action we thought would lie hidden forever, someday, is going to come out into the full light for everyone to see.
Jesus tells us not to be afraid, but this coming revelation should make us a little anxious perhaps. When we thought that the world should be made aware of who we really are, we were contemplating something more like a public relations campaign: certain events which come to our mind would be publicized around the world. Like “It’s a Wonderful Life” except the whole town gets to walk around and realize how miserable their lives would be without us around. But if everything is going to be revealed, probably we can think of some less complimentary moments in our personal history, which reveal that we are, in actuality, a liar and cheat, selfish beyond belief, and, above all, a great big fat hypocrite.
So if we are thinking that someday the whole world will be impressed by our actions, we probably do not know ourselves as well as we should. No, when we are in heaven someday and someone suggests that tonight we watch the video of my life or of your life, the video that is being recorded every second of our lives right now, we will not be the star of the show; we might often be the villain.
The star of the show is going to be the one who knows when a sparrow falls from the sky and how many hairs there are on top of our heads. The plot is going to be how the Holy and Perfect One managed to convince us to seek our own happiness, while we are sabotaging his every effort. When everything is revealed, when every secret is known, everyone will be astonished not by what we did but by what God did: his humility, his skillful care, his love that never gave up.
So if we are thinking that someday the whole world will be impressed by our actions, we probably do not know ourselves as well as we should. No, when we are in heaven someday and someone suggests that tonight we watch the video of my life or of your life, the video that is being recorded every second of our lives right now, we will not be the star of the show; we might often be the villain.
The star of the show is going to be the one who knows when a sparrow falls from the sky and how many hairs there are on top of our heads. The plot is going to be how the Holy and Perfect One managed to convince us to seek our own happiness, while we are sabotaging his every effort. When everything is revealed, when every secret is known, everyone will be astonished not by what we did but by what God did: his humility, his skillful care, his love that never gave up.
