The Burden of Doing Good
Doing good is a heavy burden on our conscience. Why is "doing good" being described as a burden? It is for the simple reason that, it is more difficult to act right and do good acts than it is to do evil acts or act wrongly. Apart from those who live false lives,denying the existence of any trace of conscience in them, we all feel guilty when we go against the dictates of our moral consciences. On the other hand, we all experience joy unspeakable and some kinds of uplifting of the spirit when we perform good deeds.
To free the conscience, to relieve it of this burden and empty our minds of guilt feelings, therefore, we must strive, with unabated continuity, to do good. We will have no need to worry about any witches and wizards attacking us from our various villages as some so-called men of the cloth have had us believe) because they will see the light of our good works and glorify our father in heaven. We will have no need to go for any "special" deliverance on any mountain; for a man or woman dedicated to doing good deeds and living right is indeed a delivered individual already.
Whenever and wherever we do a singular act of good work, we show or manifest the glory of God to those who have little or no understanding of what constitutes good deeds. This is how we let the world know God is truly alive. No wonder, the late St Iraneus, a former Catholic Bishop of Lyon in the 2nd Century AD once wrote " Gloria Dei est Vivens homo" that is, "the glory of God is man fully alive."
(Culled from the unpublished manuscript of "How To Achieve Real Happiness" by Ogiri John Ogiri)
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