Bartholomew/Nathanael
So often, sin sits in a stealth mode in the duplicity of our hearts, as
we delight in our own cleverness in disguising our motives and misleading
others in ways that are not "technically" dishonest.
"There is no
duplicity in him." What a great compliment Jesus gave when he spoke thus
about Bartholomew (also known as Nathanael). So often, sin sits in a stealth
mode in the duplicity of our hearts, as we delight in our own cleverness in
disguising our motives and misleading others in ways that are not
"technically" dishonest.
To be sure, charity
and humility demand something from us akin to duplicity, as we endeavor to
focus on one aspect of a given action while downplaying another. For instance,
if I were to make a generous donation to a charitable cause, but sought to stay
out of the limelight, I wouldn't necessarily be guilty of duplicity. However,
if I flatly denied my contribution, or conversely, if I were motivated
primarily by secret hopes to gain fame from it, then the charge of duplicity
would be justified.
Too often, we
excuse our lapses into duplicity, and can even convince ourselves of its
necessity and inevitability, when the light of Christ's Truth would remind us
that the opposite of duplicity is sincerity and integrity, traits which shine
so brightly in the life of Christ and are thus also found in the lives of those
who, like Bartholomew, seek to follow Christ and model their lives on His
example.