Painting by Gregory Frank Harris

ARE YOU SINCERE?

Are you really what is called a sincere person? Now don’t be too quick to say you are, for sincere people are not as plentiful as blackberries. Curiously enough, a word which should be taken seriously or lose its meaning completely, is often quite ludicrous in its context.

We all know the old-timer “Sincerely yours.” It can close a letter from one bosom-friend to another; it can also close a vitriolic epistle from an enemy, or a curt reminder that a bill is long overdue.

In the former case the only thing “sincere” is the vitriol, in the latter the determination to get the money out of you.

Of course, sincere people are to be met with among the friends and acquaintances of us all, and it would never do to divide humanity into a handful of sincere individuals and a worldful of hypocrites and rogues.

But still, if we look for the origin of the word “sincere,” dictionaries are not helpful.

However, from a welter of synonyms and definitions and explanations, one little phrase catches the eye: Good throughout. That’s illuminating. It seems to bring out best what we mean when we say that a person is “sincere.”

If we apply “sincerity” to material goods, the lack of it will give us shoddy, imitation, composition, synthetic. Polish and paint may lead us to believe that the article is a hundred per cent., but we soon find that it isn’t. It doesn’t wear well.

A shower of rain, a little rough usage, an extra demand made upon it, show up its inferiority, and it falls to pieces long before the time we reckoned on. It was not “good throughout.” The genuine article is.

In all due proportion it is something like this with sincerity in individuals and with the lack of it. You feel about sincere people that they are “good throughout.” They are not shoddy.

They are dependable, not merely in the big emergencies of life, but in the small. They’ll never let you down. You may rely on them to do the nice thing—to do that service, for instance, to pay that call, to write that letter—which others will not think about or not bother about.

They are thoughtful in the special sense of the word which means having a quick perception of the needs of others, especially in small matters.

We may rely on sincere people to mean what they say—a big thing in daily life. Not, mind, always to say what they mean. An utterly different thing.

There are those who seem to think they must always say what they mean. They have a warped idea of sincerity. They boast of being the plain, blunt man (or woman), who, quite unsolicited, will give your best friends a telling off, not rarely with unpleasant consequences.

Meaning what you say is another thing, and we may rely on the sincere to do it. When, for instance, sincere people assure you they are glad of your company, they mean it, and even when they are strangers to you, there is that in them that makes you feel it. The in-sincerity of the “too-sweet-to-be-wholesome” variety is often too obvious.

When sincere people give you their friendship, you feel you have got it, as something substantial and permanent. It will wear well and, like the genuine article you buy, stand a lot of knocking about. It is not shoddy. It is “good throughout.”

When sincere people praise you or your work, their praise is worth having. It rings true, no matter how few be the words in which it is expressed. The praise bestowed by others is often in inverse proportion to its effusiveness.

Again, nobody likes to be contradicted; yet if our friends are sincere, we are sure to be at times. And so we have grounds for suspecting the sincerity of those who readily subscribe to everything we say and almost anticipate our thoughts.

Sometimes, for the sake of a quiet life, we must, without compromising truth, acquiesce after a fashion in the views of others. But the sincerity of the habitual yes-man or yes-woman is undoubtedly open to suspicion.

Where secrets and confidences are concerned, the sincere are watertight, and we soon get to know it. We feel we can trust our life to them and that wild horses won’t draw our secrets from them.

Giving them confidences is like locking things up in a safe. It is strongly characteristic of the sincere to keep promises, however small.

People who promise too readily are soon found out. We soon take it for granted that the goods won’t be delivered. Sincere people take the smallest promise seriously, no matter to whom it is made.

If you possess the friendship of one who is thoroughly sincere, you possess something to thank God for. If you are thoroughly sincere yourself, your friends have reason to thank Him, too.

One other word. It just struck me—if in your relations with God you are thoroughly sincere, “good throughout” then it would not in the least surprise me if one day the Catholic world were to pray to you.

“Applying the Golden Rule isn’t hard: It’s safe to say that things that irritate or antagonize you would irritate or antagonize someone else if you did them. On the other hand, kind and friendly acts that are done for you, you too can do for others. Just as you do, they’ll consider them as acts of friendship.

Make mental notes of actions by other boys and girls which you find annoying. Don’t do them. At the same time, note the courtesies, acts of kindness, and other actions done to please you. Do them to others. By this simple procedure—by always doing for others what you’d have them do for you—you will find the key to lasting friendships with both boys and girls.”

~ Rev. George Kelly, The Catholic Family Handbook

CATHOLIC COURTSHIP Platform is NOW LIVE! 

COURTSHIP-FOCUSED ~ “We bring back the timeless concept of courtship in a world that often prioritizes casual dating and superficial connections. Our platform encourages respectful and intentional courtship practices in line with Catholic teachings.”

DETAILED PROFILES ~ “Our profiles dive deep into one’s values, interests, faith journey, and readiness for a lifelong commitment. Each profile is thoughtfully structured to provide you with a holistic understanding, empowering you to make meaningful connections based on shared beliefs and aspirations.”

Let them know what you think ~ they value your feedback!

Cameo Blessed Mother Graceful Religious Pendant and Earring Sets…Wire-Wrapped, Handcrafted.

Get it blessed and wear it as a sacramental.

Available here.

 

 

This is a unique book of Catholic devotions for young children. There is nothing routine and formal about these stories. They are interesting, full of warmth and dipped right out of life. These anecdotes will help children know about God, as each one unfolds a truth about the saints, the Church, the virtues, etc. These are short faith-filled stories, with a few questions and a prayer following each one, enabling the moral of each story to sink into the minds of your little ones. The stories are only a page long so tired mothers, who still want to give that “tucking in” time a special touch, or pause a brief moment during their busy day to gather her children around her, can feel good about bringing the realities of our faith to the minds of her children in a childlike, (though not childish), way. There is a small poem and a picture at the end of each story. Your children will be straining their necks to see the sweet pictures! Through these small stories, parents will sow seeds of our Holy Catholic Faith that will enrich their families all the years to come!

This revised 1922 classic offers gentle guidance for preteen and teenage girls on how to become a godly woman. Full of charm and sentiment, it will help mother and daughter establish a comfortable rapport for discussions about building character, friendships, obedience, high ideals, a cheerful spirit, modest dress, a pure heart, and a consecrated life.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.