Daily Retreat 09/3/06
2006 Sep 3 SUN: TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Dt 4: 1-2. 6-8/ Ps 14(15): 2-3. 3-4. 4-5 (1a)/ Jas 1: 17-18. 21b-22. 27/ Mk 7: 1-8. 14-15. 21-23
From today’s readings: “What great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?... He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.... Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.... This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me....”
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
It's so trite, isn't it? We've all heard this cliché a million times, and in most cases we don't think it's necessary that we be reminded again. But God thinks it is necessary to remind us again. And again. And again! In fact, all the scriptures we've heard today highlight this simple theme: Actions do speak louder than words.
In the first reading, Moses holds up the commandment of the Lord and tells the Israelites, "Behold the decrees made by God Himself. Listen to these. Don't just talk about them, but live your lives in accordance with these."
Remember, the Lord gave us these statutes, so when we live out these commandments, our actions are speaking with the wisdom of God Himself...and all peoples can't help but admire divine wisdom put into action, for that is how we are meant to live! Think about it: are we bound to obey the laws of ancient Egypt? or Greece? or Rome? Of course not! All those laws have passed away, because they were mere human precepts. Even though they were copied by thousands of scribes, even though they were proclaimed in every town square, even though the words were carved into stone, all those laws have been forgotten. And all of our laws today are doomed to oblivion except for those few that speak with the wisdom of the Lord. In a hundred years, no one will get a speeding ticket for driving faster than 55! Only the commandments of the Lord, held up by Moses, are just as much in force today as they were in ancient times. Only those laws which embody the commandments of the Lord will last through the ages, because the decrees of the Lord are proclaimed anew everyday, not so much by words, as by holy men and women putting them into practice. The Word of God is not merely spoken or written, but etched indelibly in our hearts, and meant to be incarnated in our actions.
In the psalm, it is the doing of justice, rather than the speaking of it, that is praised: He who does justice, and not just talks about it, will walk in the presence of the Lord. And in the second reading, St. James puts the matter point blank as he urges "Humbly welcome the word of God and ACT ON IT, for if all you do is listen to it, you are deceiving yourselves."
The gospel takes the matter one step further: Jesus points out to the pharisees that some actions are so hollow that they do not speak louder than words. Jesus complains that the Pharisees' actions are worthless token gestures because they go no deeper: What is the use of cleaning something on the outside, when all the dirt is on the inside? What merit is there in lip service when the heart is far from the Lord? Actions speak louder than words, but not if the actions are just as empty as mere words.
On this labor day weekend, the Lord asks us to consider what our actions are saying: do our deeds and our labors throughout the week truly speak of a commitment to following Christ? Is our heart shining with the Word of God that is written there, or have we covered it up with the muck of wicked designs? We celebrate the Eucharist precisely so that Christ may dwell in our hearts and drive out any lurking evil and stain within us, so that all our actions, and our words, may reflect a true purity from within. We pray that the Holy Spirit enter our hearts and our minds, so that all our actions will speak loudly and in fact thunder with the Word of God!
Dt 4: 1-2. 6-8/ Ps 14(15): 2-3. 3-4. 4-5 (1a)/ Jas 1: 17-18. 21b-22. 27/ Mk 7: 1-8. 14-15. 21-23
From today’s readings: “What great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?... He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.... Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.... This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me....”
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
It's so trite, isn't it? We've all heard this cliché a million times, and in most cases we don't think it's necessary that we be reminded again. But God thinks it is necessary to remind us again. And again. And again! In fact, all the scriptures we've heard today highlight this simple theme: Actions do speak louder than words.
In the first reading, Moses holds up the commandment of the Lord and tells the Israelites, "Behold the decrees made by God Himself. Listen to these. Don't just talk about them, but live your lives in accordance with these."
Remember, the Lord gave us these statutes, so when we live out these commandments, our actions are speaking with the wisdom of God Himself...and all peoples can't help but admire divine wisdom put into action, for that is how we are meant to live! Think about it: are we bound to obey the laws of ancient Egypt? or Greece? or Rome? Of course not! All those laws have passed away, because they were mere human precepts. Even though they were copied by thousands of scribes, even though they were proclaimed in every town square, even though the words were carved into stone, all those laws have been forgotten. And all of our laws today are doomed to oblivion except for those few that speak with the wisdom of the Lord. In a hundred years, no one will get a speeding ticket for driving faster than 55! Only the commandments of the Lord, held up by Moses, are just as much in force today as they were in ancient times. Only those laws which embody the commandments of the Lord will last through the ages, because the decrees of the Lord are proclaimed anew everyday, not so much by words, as by holy men and women putting them into practice. The Word of God is not merely spoken or written, but etched indelibly in our hearts, and meant to be incarnated in our actions.
In the psalm, it is the doing of justice, rather than the speaking of it, that is praised: He who does justice, and not just talks about it, will walk in the presence of the Lord. And in the second reading, St. James puts the matter point blank as he urges "Humbly welcome the word of God and ACT ON IT, for if all you do is listen to it, you are deceiving yourselves."
The gospel takes the matter one step further: Jesus points out to the pharisees that some actions are so hollow that they do not speak louder than words. Jesus complains that the Pharisees' actions are worthless token gestures because they go no deeper: What is the use of cleaning something on the outside, when all the dirt is on the inside? What merit is there in lip service when the heart is far from the Lord? Actions speak louder than words, but not if the actions are just as empty as mere words.
On this labor day weekend, the Lord asks us to consider what our actions are saying: do our deeds and our labors throughout the week truly speak of a commitment to following Christ? Is our heart shining with the Word of God that is written there, or have we covered it up with the muck of wicked designs? We celebrate the Eucharist precisely so that Christ may dwell in our hearts and drive out any lurking evil and stain within us, so that all our actions, and our words, may reflect a true purity from within. We pray that the Holy Spirit enter our hearts and our minds, so that all our actions will speak loudly and in fact thunder with the Word of God!
posted by FrPitstick | 9/01/2006
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