Pure light, pure honesty

1 John 1:5-2:2

            How honest are you in your confessions? I'm not speaking necessarily to Catholics here, how honest are you in confessions to yourself and to God? As this passage states God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. God knows all and sees all. There is no hiding needed if indeed possible with himself. Pure light can hide nothing, it's purity so defined by the essence of his existence.

But what of you and I?

         St. Ignatius has among other things created the art or practice of the examen. I would leave it to you to google it or looked it up on Wiki but I do think it is a great practice. I believe more honest self examination is a bold and faithful thing to do. We certainly don't have the pure light that God has but we are made in his likeness and image so great things are possible for us. Honesty with ourselves could be an incredible gift to God, the world or to a relationship? Is that redundant?

         What I can't help but think about is how the world seems stacked against us a times. The world does not hold honesty as a model. Our thoughts and desires are heavily influenced by the media and life around us. Even churches lie if it will stave off  scandal. One asks which is worse, the lies or the scandal but this only serves to point a finger away from ourselves. Are we complicit by our own lies? 

      Vatican II with it's opening of windows and fresh air, Glasnost and all manner of revival and even 

malicious revelation can shed light and life. Our goal perhaps should be practicing fervent honesty with ourselves. Brutally honest self introspection can only serve to be a benefit and be an example to the world and fully appreciated and imitative of the nature of God.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.