((Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119; Mt 5:43-45)
Both of the readings for Mass today have a common theme. It isn’t enough to just “talk the talk”, we have to “walk the walk.” What we actually do matters, not just what we talk about doing.
It’s pretty easy to talk about Christian things…..the scriptures, the sacraments, the latest news among our Catholic brothers and sisters. We love to discuss our different theological insights, religious devotions, feelings, the lives of the saints, and what the pope or our bishop recently said or did. That’s one thing that we as Catholics do pretty well … talk about religious things. But, talk is cheap. It is a lot easier to talk about doing things, than it is to actually do them.
The first reading for Mass from the book of Deuteronomy says that:
“This day the Lord, your God, commands you to observe these statues and decrees. Be careful then, to observe them with all of your heart and with all of your soul.”
The reading goes on to say that we are to walk in his ways and observe his statues, commandments and decrees, and to listen to his voice. We are to be a people all His own – provided we keep his commandments. There is a condition to being one of God’s people, we have to actually do what He calls us to do and not just talk about it.
In the gospel today, Jesus also calls us to not just to talk about religion, but actually do something concrete to show it. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Love those who are not our family and friends. Greet people we don’t know. Come out of our comfort zone and extend the boundaries of our horizon to include those kinds of people that we do not normally include in our lives.
Jesus’s last words in the gospel today was:
“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
So many times Catholics take this to mean to strive to have a scrupulously spotless soul and not allow it to be spoiled by even the smallest venial sin. The attitude that spiritual perfection is tied to the cleanliness of our soul, or a lack of even venial sin in our lives. Today’s gospel does not seem to confirm this. It isn’t a lack of venial sins that makes us holy. It’s the actions we do, or fail to do, that matters. We grow in holiness when we actually do something for other people to show them that we care about them. But, we sin when we fail to anything at all for others.
This is the first Saturday of Lent and it is a good day to go to confession. Perhaps instead of focusing so much on the bacon bits we accidentally ate in our salad on Friday (when we were supposed to be fasting from meat) … maybe we could think about what parts of the gospel we have failed to do anything about?
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:31-46),
Which one of these things that Jesus said he would judge us on at the end of time, have we failed to do? This probably matters a lot more to Jesus than the bits of meat we may have accidentally eaten in our salad or soup this Lent. Just some food for thought!
