September 30, 2001

The cartoon character Mr. Magoo is a little man who can barely see but walks and acts as if he had perfect vision. He might drive on a sidewalk or walk out of an airplane door, or he might even stroll through a bank robbery without a clue that anything was the least bit abnormal. We may laugh at Magoo's myopia, but we have often exhibited a similar lack of vision, and unlike Mr. Magood, there is nothing wrong with our eyes.

The U.S. Catholic magazine conducted a survey several years ago that quizzed the respondents on their views of heaven and hell. It proved quite interesting. One of the questions involved their hopes for heaven. One hoped that an unlimited charge card would be available. One desired daily gold privileges. Yet another hoped to catch an instant replay of creation. The most revealing question of all was the one that asked the respondents about their eternal destiny. A whopping 83% believed it to be heaven. The statistic seems to indicate that an overwhelming majority of the Catholic population sees little evidence of sin in their lives. If there is a need for reform, reconciliation, remorse or forgiveness, it apparently rested squarely on the shoulders of those who believe that their destiny to be other than heaven.

Though a majority of Catholics do not drive on the sidewalks or walk out of airplanes, their blurred vision when it comes to sinfulness is equally laughable. Many have eyes of Mr. Magoo when it comes to assessing their prospects for heaven.

The rich man in the Gospel is a good example of that. He would certainly put himself among the 83% who believed they were going to heaven. Why would he think so? He was probably a prominent man in the community, well liked, and a heavy contributor to charity. Perhaps he attended the synagogue regularly. He probably had a clear conscience and felt strongly that he deserved a place in heaven. But obviously he had it all wrong. There was a great deal of sin in his life that he failed to see.

SO THE QUESTION: HOW DO YOU ACCOUNT FOR OUR MYOPIA ABOUT THE REALITY OF OUR SINS?

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