Craig Daily Press

Craig — It happened to me again just the other day.

I was watching a football game with a group of people and someone reacted to a play by uttering a four-letter expletive.

Quickly, one of the others in the group reminded this individual that I was a priest. The usual awkward silence then followed and the individual made the socially accepted trite apology.

Moments later, the incident was forgotten and everyone returned to watching the game and chatting as before.

Most likely, everyone has experienced a situation where they played each of these different roles. You have been the person who said something inappropriate, considering the present company.

Additionally, you have most likely corrected someone who said something that you thought was inappropriate. Finally, the time someone was corrected for saying something inappropriate in front of you.

This probably made you feel older and more mature than you really were and caught you off guard like the first time that you were called “sir” or “ma’am”, and you looked around to see who was being addressed.

Being that I am a priest, I find myself in this third situation often.

There is an idea that in the presence of the clergy, one must mind one’s P’s and Q’s. What about the rest of time?

Children tend to straighten up when their father comes home, but you are not a child anymore. St. Paul tells us, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” (1 Cor 13:11, RSV)

God calls all of us to live virtuously all the time. It is not that you should watch your mouth when the priest is at the table, but rather, that you should always watch your mouth.

You ought to be a good example to others with the entirety of your speech. A mature person can express anger and disgust without cursing.

This principle extends beyond speech.

All your actions should build up virtue. The problem is that too often we tend to construct duel personas, our own version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the public sphere, we try our best to act and speak as though we have a high moral standard and yet, when we are alone or among close friends, we allow ourselves to become depraved. While this may deceive others, it tends not to work out well in the long run, i.e., you can’t fool all the people, all of the time. Further, you can’t fool God ever.

Jesus warns us, “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 6:1) Which means: don’t be good just so that people will perceive you to be so. The reward of public opinion is shallow and short lived compared to heaven.