A parish priest was being honored at a dinner on the 25th anniversary of his arrival in that parish. A leading local politician, who was a member of the congregation, was chosen to make the presentation and give a little speech at the dinner, but he was delayed in traffic. Sooo.....the priest decided to say his own few words while they waited.

"You will understand," he said, "the seal of the confessional, can never be broken. However, I got my first impressions of this parish from the first confession I heard here. I can only hint vaguely about this, but when I came here 25 years ago, I thought I had been assigned to a terrible place. The very first chap who entered my confessional told me how he had stolen a television set and, when stopped by the police, had almost murdered the officer. Further, he told me he had embezzled money from his place of business and had an affair with his boss's wife. I was appalled. But as the days went on I knew that my people were not all like that, and I had, indeed come to, a fine parish full of understanding and loving people."

Just as the priest finished his talk, the politician arrived full of apologies for being late. He immediately began to make the presentation and give his talk.

"I'll never forget the first day our parish priest arrived in this parish," said the politician. "In fact, I had the honor of being the first one to go to him in confession."

Well that did it. Coming in late, not knowing the speech that was just delivered he went ahead and opened his mouth to a complete confession to the public.

Had the politician been aware he would, of course, altered his speech. Yet he should have been aware of something else too. He should have known that for all things there is a season.

Men surprise me sometimes. They do things they know are wrong and they sincerely think they will get away with it. Few there are who are wise enough to know the law "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Most of us today know that law by other words such as "The chickens you send out are the chickens that come home to roost" or "What goes around, comes around."

In the joke above, the politician was not subject to a conspiracy of events he unwittingly stumbled into. It was simply and merely the continued and always active law that ensures each of us gets what we give.

What it all means is that sooner or later, somehow or other a man's deeds are always found out - always. For everything there is a season.

That a person is not caught at the instant an offense occurs is no sign that one will get away with it. Months, even years can go by without public knowledge of a persons acts, yet, one day it will be revealed.

The worst part, of course, and this is where misdeeds cost, is the guilty conscience one carries with him. Because that is emotionally charged it gets buried deep in the subconscious. That guilt will sit there to affect a person's life in negative ways a person will not even see. Let it be known it will cause one to pay dearly for misdeeds one wants to keep secret.

However, the politician opened his own mouth to reveal truth. He should have known that...

For All Things - A Season!

©2005

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