Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.
Our 1st reading and Gospel today intersect through a topic we may want to reflect on this morning: putting our faith into action. In the Gospel Jesus tells us “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the Word of God and act on it.”
One of the most basic ways for putting our faith into action is being present for another person. We can probably all think of examples of people that do this well…a person that brings a sense of quiet strength and serenity with their presence. A person you can rely on in a crisis to bring faith and empathy.
When I was in high school the minister at our Lutheran Church in central IL was Pastor Olander. He was a busy guy now that I think about it many years later. He had 3 kids, a full-time job at the church and started a part time prison ministry. You could find him with the youth group, at committee meetings or spending all day in a hospital with a family going through a crisis. He was generous with his time and brought faith and stability to the people who needed it the most.
Putting faith into action is different for each person. God has given us all different gifts and we all struggle with different limitations in each phase of our lives.
What we all have in common is God’s desire to help us grow in our faith. If we let Him, He will continue to lead us to new opportunities for putting our faith into action. These opportunities are often outside our comfort zone but usually provide a chance for us to grow in our faith as well as share it.
As we hear the Word of God today and discern the best way to act on it, let us remember our Psalm: “Guide me Lord, in the way of Your commands.”
-Deacon Steve Whiteman