Theme

Ninth Sunday of the Year *1^st June 2008*
Theme :	*“Actions speak louder than words”*
1st. Reading:	Deuteronomy 11: 18, 26-28, 32
2nd Reading:	Romans 3: 21-25, 28
Gospel :	Matthew 7:21-27

Dear Friend,

There are many people who say that they will do things for us, they promise us the moon, but their deeds belie their words. Hence we become sceptical and doubt people’s words. In so many words we say: “Show me by your actions what you are promising with your words.” It is the same attitude we adopt towards leaders, politicians, preachers, teachers and anyone who claims authority. Faith demands the same, that our actions reveal our faith! Have a ‘living-the-faith’ weekend!

Fr. Jude Botelho

The first reading from Deuteronomy reminds us that some believers prefer the outwards symbols rather than the inner realities of faith. Moses told the people to bind God’s word at their wrists and let them be a pendent on their forehead. We are not sure whether this was purely figurative, to symbolize thinking correctly and doing right actions, but later this became merely an external ritual which was condemned. The written word did not mean anything if it was not put into practice. The Law or Torah was presented by Moses to the people in the setting of the covenant God was making with his people. The people had to make a choice: by observing the law the people would be fulfilling their side of the covenant, and they would be blessed. By their refusal to accept they would reject the covenant and would be cursed in terms of material possessions and prosperity. We too have to constantly make a choice for or against God.

Actions speak
Dr. Spence was a popular Protestant preacher. His church was always full. But as the years passed, so did his eloquence as a preacher. Understandably, his people began to drift away. One day the elderly Dr. Spence was keenly aware of his near-empty church. He looked around and then said to those present. “Where are the others who used to worship with us?” After an embarrassing silence someone said, “There is a new preacher down the street. I think most of them have gone to his church.” Dr. Spence was silent for a moment. Then with a gracious smile he said, “Perhaps it is time to join them.” With that he descended from the pulpit and led his people to the new minister’s church. –People are not touched by someone who smiles graciously in the midst of acceptance, but they are touched mightily by someone who does so in the midst of rejection.
Mark Link in ‘Decision’

In the reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul deals with the question of whether we are justified, have a right relationship with God, through the observance of the Law or through faith in Jesus Christ. The Jews believed that one was justified by a scrupulous observance of the law alone; by the fulfilment of the law human beings merited salvation. Paul on the other hand stressed that nothing that we did by ourselves merited salvation. By ourselves, nothing can earn God’s grace. People are justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus on the cross merited salvation and this grace is freely available to all who believe and accept Jesus Christ. Through the law we stand condemned but through Jesus we are set free.

Jesus alone saves
The sculptor Donatello was a contemporary of the great sculptor Michelangelo. One day Donatello rejected a block of marble because it was too flawed for him to use. The workers took the same block to Michelangelo. When Michelangelo inspected it, he saw the same flaws. But Michelangelo also saw the block as a challenge to his skill. He accepted it and proceeded to carve from it David, one of the world’s most prized treasures of art. The disciples of Jesus were like that block of marble. They too, were flawed. The gospel even shows them jockeying for places of honour in the kingdom of God. A lesser leader than Jesus would have rejected the disciples, just as Donatello rejected the block of marble. But Jesus didn’t do that. He accepted them, flaws and all, and proceeded to carve from them the foundation upon which he built his church.
Mark Link in ’Challenge’

In today’s gospel the evangelist ends the sermon on the mount with two warnings given by Jesus. The first concerns false prophets; a profession of faith in Christ is of no use if one lies by one’s conduct. The foundation of our faith consists in obedience to the word of God spoken through Jesus. Matthew, writing for his own church, directs an attack against certain Christian charismatics who think that addressing Jesus as ‘Lord, Lord’ is sufficient for the kingdom of heaven. Even though they have the gifts of prophecy, exorcise demons and work miracles, all this will not guarantee them admission into the kingdom. For all their presumed familiarity with the risen Lord and exercising authority in his name, they are not known by the real Jesus. We do not become sharers of the kingdom by belonging to as group or by acting in the name of Jesus but only by living like him. We can all suffer from the illusion that the particular practices we follow serve to secure our place in the kingdom. We can say: “But I do the novenas to St. Jude, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, I do the nine Fridays, the five Tuesdays and regularly say the prayer to the Divine Mercy; I’ve joined the Charismatic movement and am involved in inner healing. It should all add up to something!” The Gospel tells us that it does if it is based on the sure foundation of the word of God. The second warning that Jesus issues in today’s gospel is directed to those content to hearing the word of God only: to hear but not to do the word of God is to fool oneself and incur destruction. Our lives should be founded on solid rock, namely Jesus Christ. It is his word that shows the way and we have to follow it.

House on Rock
The story is told of an American naval officer who longed for the day when he would command his own ship. The day came when his hope was realized: a destroyer was commissioned and he was named its captain. Everyone who knew him appreciated how much this meant to him and they celebrated the occasion with great rejoicing. One the maiden voyage everything was going like a dream until the third night brought a fierce storm. The great destroyer was lashed by huge waves and buffeted by gale-force winds but the captain was able to maintain his course. What came to disturb him was not the weather but a light that seemed to converging on the bow of the destroyer. He ordered the signalman: “Send out a signal and have that ship alter its course twenty degrees south.” The signalman sent the message; in return a message came back, “You alter your course twenty degrees to the north.” The captain, a little disturbed by the message, told the signalman: “Send the message, ‘This is Captain Cunningham and I order you to alter your course twenty degrees to south.’” The message sent, a reply came back: “This is Third-Class Seaman Jones, you alter your course twenty degrees to north.” The captain was infuriated by this impertinence and sent another signal: “You had better alter your course I am a destroyer,” The message came back: “You had better change your course. I am a lighthouse.” -Just as a destroyer cannot command a lighthouse to move, we cannot command the word of God to move out of our way. It is the word that shows the way, without it we are all sunk.
Denis McBride in ‘Seasons of the Word’

“The world is full of fine speakers whose continuous talking is a smoke screen for their lack of deeds. God however knows that an action is often more convincing: ‘actions speak louder than words.’ The last part of the Sermon on the Mount concludes with the message that those who wish to attain happiness must put their belief into practice; if they do not they will be lost. ” Jesus was not satisfied with words. Each of the five major discourses in Matthew’s gospel has a corresponding account of works done by the Lord to confirm his preaching –until the final lesson of the cross, where God through the death of his Son, gave us the ultimate expression of his love. By giving his life, Jesus testified in the world to the truth, a truth which is not so dogmatic as a living, tangible reality for those who understand the meaning of deeds. We believe ourselves to be followers of Jesus and number ourselves among his friends. Do we not eat at his table, drink his wine and preach in his name? Surely that is enough? Let there be an end of words! Take care of the injured man lying by the road; open your arms to the prodigal; welcome the stranger. Our lives will be judged by such practical evidence of our conversion. Speech is not enough; God and the world are waiting for us to act. A new Christian lifestyle must be worked out, a way of communicating by actions and behaviour must be discovered, a style not confined to mere theory but outlining new ways to the kingdom.” – Glenstal Bible Missal

Living the faith
Some years ago, a young man applied to teach religion in a Catholic high school in India. When the principal asked him if he were a practicing Catholic, he replied: “No I am a Hindu, but I know Catholic teaching thoroughly. I went to Catholic schools all my life. I’d gladly take a test to prove my competency.” The principal explained to the young man that the heart of Catholicism lay not in knowing Catholic teaching but in living a faith-filled Catholic life. -Knowledge needs to be translated into action. Theory needs to be put into practice. Theology needs to be reduced to life. We must not only be hearers and knowers of the word, but doers of it as well. As the great Spiritual writer Thomas A. Kempis says, “It is more important to be humble than to know the definition of humility.” The word of God is the rock upon which we must build our lives. It is not enough to listen to it. We must do something about it.
Mark Link in ’Sunday Homilies’

London Bridge
Little children are still taught the old nursery rhyme “London Bridge.” It recalls an historical event that took place in 1014 when the Danes occupied Britain. To regain London from the Danes, who had their main defence on the bridge, King Aethelred enlisted the help of King Olaf of Norway. King Olaf had his men row under the bridge, lay cables around the pilings, and then pulled them away. Thus London Bridge came falling down, the Danes were defeated, London was regained by King Aethelred, and a nursery rhyme was born. When a new London Bridge was built it was constructed with ‘stone on stone’ that it would ‘last for ages long,’ and not come falling down because of weak wooden pilings being pulled or washed away. In today’s gospel Jesus doesn’t talk about bridges falling down, but about houses. However, the basic idea is the same. If we build a house or a bridge with a weak foundation instead of setting it on solid rock, then a storm or a flood or an enemies attack will make it collapse in ruin. As it turned out, for 900 years London Bridge did not fall down again, even during World War II. It was dismantled stone by stone and put together again in Lake Havasu in Arizona for tourists in the late 1970s. but it did not fall down again like its predecessor in 1014.
Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’

May our actions speak more loudly of our faith than words!

Fr. Jude Botelho
judebotelho@niscort.com

P.S. :The stories, incidents and anecdotes used in the reflections have been collected over the years from books as well as from sources over the net and from e-mails received. Every effort is made to acknowledge authors whenever possible. If you send in stories or illustrations I would be grateful if you could quote the source as well so that they can be acknowledged if used in these reflections. I would be happy if you could link this website to your own parish/diocesan/institutional website. If you wish to receive these reflections by e-mail, or send them to a friend, do send in the e-mail address to <jude@netforlife.plus.com>

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Gospel Commentary from Ireland

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