Faith=Reflective Action

Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Joyful Mysteries
Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch
Romans 4:13, 16-18
Psalm 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43
Luke 12:8-12

Our Lord tells us in the gospel that when we are brought before the authorities to answer for our faith in Christ, we are not to worry about what to say, because the Holy Spirit will be our guide. In today's world most of us will never be dragged before the authorities on this account, but we do sometimes find ourselves confronted by friends, coworkers or even family who strongly question our beliefs.

What is your response? As Christ teaches in this gospel, it should come to us through the Holy Spirit as it has to others for ages. Every other Sunday when I visit the sick in the hospital, one of the first stops I make is in the chapel to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, words and actions. It has come in handy a couple of times!

I have often been amazed at how believers spoke when placed in the most terrible spot. Take the first martyr (and, of course, one of my favorite saints), Saint Stephen. He was a relatively new Christian and did not have the benefit of years of Christian teaching. But when faced with certain death, He spoke as powerfully as the Lord Himself. This has been repeated through the ages as believers have been tortured and killed for their beliefs and always they were able to speak with authority and with faith.

Faith is reflective action, not merely words. Do we acknowledge Jesus if we attend Mass on Sunday and ignore those around us who are hungry? Do we acknowledge Jesus if we follow the rule of not stealing someone’s goods and then don’t act to change our economic systems so there is a fairer distribution of goods? (CCC 2408). Do we acknowledge Jesus if we refrain from physically harming another person and yet don’t act to change our society so domestic and other acts of violence are reduced?

We manifest faith by acting on our beliefs, by living lives that are consistent with what we say is important to us, and by reflecting on our actions (or lack of actions) and questioning whether our motives and our directions are consistent with what we hear as God’s call to us. We acknowledge Jesus by following His call to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to do social justice in this life. We know that if we do, Jesus will acknowledge us in the next.

And so today I ask for the grace of a deeper reflective faith, of the courage to act consistently with my words, to follow the call of Jesus to build the kingdom of God in this world.