Our Epistle states, “Be doers of the Word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves.” As Saint Augustine puts it, “Do not deceive yourselves by coming eagerly to hear the Word and then failing to do it. If it is a good thing to hear, it is a much better thing to do.” Therefore, we are being instructed to put into action what we have heard through the Gospel message.
Our life is not as simple as coming to Mass, reading scripture, saying some prayers, and lessening to a homily. As important as these may be, so too is it important to live our faith outside of the doors of this Church. We are called upon to do something more than the mere minimum that is required for us to get by. We should be so in love with God that our heart is moved towards a true spirit of charity which is sent outward from self.
As Christians we must set our sight unto the Lord. It is the Lord who is both Perfect and True and thus when we look upon Him we see our own imperfect state. Whenever we examine our conscience we looks towards Him to ask what ways we have failed to live out our faith by putting what we believe into action. Have we been true workers of God and faithful followers of His Word?
Conversion of heart is something more then mere words that last for only a moment. To be converted is to live for we live for the Lord. Conversion transcends a moment because day by day we must live for the Lord our God. We must come to invite the gift of God’s grace into our life and must be moved by the truth of the Holy Spirit. Conversion is a commitment that we make unto the Lord that we will come to amend our life with His help.
As we state in the Act of Contrition, “I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.”
We cannot simply be a “hearer of the word, and not a doer.” There are many Christians who do precisely this. They are ordinary people among us, they are members of the clergy, they are celebrities, they are politicians, and they come from all walks of life. These individuals do harm to the faith for they cause scandal and lead others away from it through their actions and words.
We instead must take a spirit of conversion to heart. We cannot simply state these words, but must believe them within the depths of our heart. Sure we will fall into sin along the way, but we cannot forget that we must return to His mercy in order that we may live. The more that we surround ourself with good and holy things the more we must all these good and holy things to take hold within our heart.
This day we are being invited to “be doers of the Word and not hearers only.” What can we do to listen more intently to this Word and how are we being called to put this Word into action? Let us be sent forth from here and true spirit of faith that always proclaims Christ Jesus and all that He has handed onto us through the Church.
“Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.”
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