Covering Up Conscience

A man of the theater came to see me a few years ago.  His reason was this: one night after a show he was talking to a number of theatrical people backstage and they said to him, 'You are a Catholic, aren't you?' And he said, 'I used to be, but I've done considerable reading in comparative religion, psychology, psychiatry, and metaphysics, and I had to give it up.  Nobody could answer my questions.'  Someone said, 'Why don't you go to Bishop Sheen and have him answer your questions?' So he said, 'Here I am, and I have a number of questions that I would like to put to you' I said to him, 'Now before you ask a single question, you go back to the hotel where you are living, get rid of that Chorus girl you're living with, and then come back and ask the questions.' He threw up his hands and laughed, and he said, 'Oh, certainly.  I am trying to fool you just like I tried to fool myself.  That's the reason. 'I saw him not very long ago and I said, 'Well, you are still off the track aren't you?' 'Yes, he said, 'but I have not thrown away the map' Now here was a perfect example of someone covering up conscience