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CURRENT TOPICS: Notes on Scripture Studies for Paul below and Notes on Prayer.
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12th Sunday OT – Matthew 10:26-33
“Fear No one!” “Speak in the Light!” “Do not be Afraid!” “Acknowledge Jesus!”
It almost sounds like we are to be like the TV Evangelists and their gospels of prosperity. The Lord expects us to live our faith by being a living example of the Lord through what we do and then say. Actions speak louder than words. A phrase that my parents always repeated. Live your faith by your actions in how you treat others, or as Saint Francis told his friars, “Preach the Gospel, and use words if necessary!”
There are two phrases that Jesus tells us, “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;” and “What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” Hopefully, this is practicing what we preach. Throughout Church History the simple beginnings of most Religious Life founders and foundresses saw a need and did something usually in education and health.
When I was in Africa, I saw this everywhere. There were religious orders that cared for the sick with their clinics, and other who took care of AIDS patients, women religious cared for the elderly and the orphans, men and women educated children at all levels. These were programs that were quite visible even in America 50 years ago are quite alive and going strong in other countries, and to some extent, even here at St. Francis de Sales parish.
I believe that we should not even open our mouths until we have first lived what we profess or simply allow our actions to speak for us.
Our first two readings give us the setting or context for today’s gospel’s meaning and interpretation. From Jeremiah, he writes of what others say about his prophesying, “Let us denounce him! All those who were my friends are on the watch for any misstep of mine.” Anything we may say can be used against us or misinterpreted. Even Pope Leo’s words were vulnerable to such attacks, and yet he still preached the gospel, the Good News, the Word or Logos become flesh.
And from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, “Through one man, (Adam), sin entered the world…thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.” That is why Jesus will acknowledge everyone before his heavenly Father those who acknowledges Jesus before others. We can never acknowledge ourselves for any action we do, especially good deeds, and expect those actions to count before God. Simply because it is God’s love for us even before we were created that Jesus died for us.
We were a thought in God’s mind that only God’s love for us is capable of bringing us into existence in and through creation. Even Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, was the most beautiful thought in God’s mind from all time until that time came when she was immaculately conceived by her parents and would become the mother of Jesus, the Logos or the Word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh.”
That is why action is better than words, except for Jesus, who is the Word become Flesh. It is better to let our actions speak for our Word, capital “w”, who is Jesus, the Logos, become flesh in us through our Baptism and which we celebrate in our Eucharist.
As a followup to my talks on Prayer, below is an example of Birdwatching as a form of prayer.
Enjoy!