Sins of Omission – Sunday, October 23, 1955
In response to an accusing question as to what he is doing, it is a quite common occurrence to hear a youngster reply defensively: “I’m not doing anything” and this suggests again an interesting subject: that innocence isn’t always merely a matter of not doing anything.
The privilege of life calls for positive performance, and the sins of omission can, under some circumstances, be as serious as the sins of commission.
It isn’t enough merely not to have done the wrong things. It is also essential to do the right things. And if we haven’t performed our part, in the final accounting we may have difficulty in justifying the space we occupy and the substance we consume.
The greatest good is not passive any more than the greatest evil is, and much that is missing in human happiness comes under the category of things we should have done but didn’t do: the talents we fail to develop, the opportunities we let pass by, the kindness and consideration we might have given, the work we withheld, the products we could have produced, the love we might have given those who have claims upon our love, the encouragement we might have given the downhearted and despondent, the comfort we might have held out to the sorrowing, the things we should have taught our children which now they haven’t learned, the word we could have said to correct a false accusation, the friends we might have defended, the part we might ‘have played in solving public and private problems, the commandments we didn’t keep, the deeds we didn’t do could all come under the category of sins of omission.
Once more we are reminded that in the Savior’s parable of the Good Samaritan, it wasn’t only the thieves whom the Master was indicting, but it was also those who passed the victim of the thieves, and who didn’t do anything when they should have done something.
Doing things, we should do when we should do them is the essence of all our opportunities. (If the Creator hadn’t created, the earth would still be without form and void.)
And when we f ace our ultimate just Judge, it may not be quite comfortable to account for the things we should have done and could have done but didn’t do. *
*Revised.
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October 23, 1955
Broadcast Number 1,366