How true are you to your commitments? Do you practice what you preach? - Daily Reflections August 25,2014

AVOID THESE WOES

 

Jesus holds nothing back in criticizing those whom He sees as hypocritical in their words and deeds. Let us do everything in our power to avoid becoming the subjects of these “woes.” The path to this end is really simple, namely making sure our actions support what we say. But it is not easy to remain consistent in this regard. It is far easier to say something than to do it. It is often a struggle to do what we know we should be doing and, thus, avoid being accused of hypocrisy.

       It has to do with the desire for integrity in our lives. We all know and admit that this is desirable. However, it is often not the case even among those who are in the higher echelons of power, in whom we would normally expect integrity. Experience and history have taught us that we should never assume that this is the case. For our part, we should always be careful in making commitments, lest we promise more than we can deliver. It is natural to want to give our best and do what we think will be best in a given situation. However, actually doing that is another matter.

       As they say, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” This means that it is not enough to intend to do what is right and good, but we actually have to do it. This is the daily challenge for a disciple of Jesus. We want to give our best witness to the truths and blessings of the Gospel. And integrity of life is necessary for that. One of the things you notice when you read the lives of the saints is that it is virtually impossible to criticize their witness. They have internalized the values of the Gospel to such an extent that they almost naturally live them out. This is what a life of virtue means. Let us follow that path and be the best disciples of Jesus that we possibly can. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How true are you to your commitments? Do you practice what you preach?

 

Holy Spirit, help me to internalize the values and truths of the Gospel to the extent that I begin to live them naturally in my life. Help me to persevere in living a virtuous life each day.