Practice What You Teach
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?” (Ps 50:16BC-17)
“Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Practice what you teach.” These words are spoken by the bishop at the Ordination to the Priesthood when the Sacred Scriptures are presented to the person being ordained. They are vital words by which to live.
So often in life, we lose our way. We drift from the path when we entertain temptation. Willingly accepting it, we sin. Unfortunately, when we do so, we not only harm ourselves, we hurt those around us as well since we give bad example that oftentimes is followed by others.
The psalmist has a lot to say in today’s responsorial psalm. He asks the people why they bother to recite God’s law if they are not living God’s law. Speaking His law but not living it makes them to be liars and frauds.
We cannot — or shall I say should not — pick and choose our way through life. We cannot be “good” Christians when it best serves us but be immersed in the world when it is too hard to follow the laws of God. We have to embrace the law and live it as completely as possible.
Of course, we all know that it extremely difficult to do. We do have a remedy: the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If more people would celebrate that sacrament, their lives would be much easier.
In this Year of Mercy, as proclaimed by Pope Francis, let us remember that there is a loving, merciful God to whom we can turn if we have broken His commandments. When we return to Him, when we are absolved from our sins, we find the grace that we need to continue on the path to His Kingdom.
Do not just say that you are Christian. Live as a follower of the Lord!
FAITH ACTION: Examine your actions and make sure that they are in accord with your Profession of Faith.