Actions Are Louder Than Words

"Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they

tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but

they do not practice" - Matthew 23:1-12

    Today we are shown so much wisdom from the words that Jesus speaks. There is one rule that I tell myself everyday when I am driving to work... "Practice what you preach." Why do I remind myself to do this? Well for one thing, who am I to say no to God when He inspires me to speak in such a way to young people? Secondly, I am no better than anyone else in this world. I have struggles, I commit sin, I forget to pray and make judgments towards others. I am a brother to everyone else I meet. I am in the same life journey as everyone else. Trying to get to Heaven.

    So let us take a look at ourselves today. I love the quote from St. Francis of Assisi; "Preach the Gospel at all times, use words when necessary." This is how we are called to live our lives. Our faith is not one in which we simply can tell people to pray and they will pray, or go to Mass and they will go to Mass. We who are inviting them to join us for Mass should go regularly or pray daily and receive confession regularly. If you find yourself telling others to be better, yet you are not doing it yourself, well then you are no better than that person. Besides, our job here on earth is not to judge people. It is to bring our brothers and sisters closer to the Lord so that when they finally make it to the door step of Heaven, God will say "Welcome home my good and faithful servant." 

    The actions that we perform will speak greater than any words that come from your mouth. When I speak to teens, it is not the words that they take home with them. When NET came to our Parish, it was not the talk that the teens remember, in fact people rarely remember what was actually said at a conference or a retreat. It is the actions of the individual who is leading the teens or young adults or congregation that will truly move a person to coming back to church or to continually come back to a ministry within the Parish. Our actions are loud! They speak so many more volumes than any great speech. Think about the great speakers in our country's history or even in the world. Abraham Lincoln spoke very well, but what do people remember him for? His actions during the civil war and to rid our country of slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. Yes, we remember parts of "I Have a Dream" but truly he is known for all the marches and all the work he did to bring equal rights to our African American brothers and sisters. Although he was an evil man, Hitler comes to mind. We can not recite his speeches, but everyone knows how his actions changed the course of history.

    Your actions will live in infamy as somebody once said I think. Anyway, your actions are the tool in which you use to spread God's love and word. Keep this in mind today as you move about the day. Think about what your body is actually telling people about who you are and how your body through it's actions is actually glorifying God today! Lastly, maybe it is time to take a break from preaching God's word with just your mouth, for it takes more than just words to earn your place in Heaven like Jesus tells us today in the verse I started with today!