"They're little spies sent by God to keep you honest." The description was given by a young couple of their first child, only three months old. They're always watching; little John already makes the same kind of face his father does when he doesn't like something. The heavy burden this puts on us -- and it's of broader application than simply parents -- is not satisfied by always being on guard. It points, rather, to the value there is for any of us in working and praying to lead a life of integrity, a life where ideals drive us despite failures, where it all fits together. Too, of course, it tells us that what we model in our actions is far more effective than anything we say. As the sign in front of the church in Georgia read for Mother's Day: "An Ounce of Mother is Worth a Pound of Preacher." A good life will out; the effects are going to be there without us having to make a self-conscious announcement about our virtue. In fact, the latter would kill it. There are little -- and big -- spies all around us.
— Don Talafous OSB
dtalafous@csbsju.edu