We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when we pray for you,
for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and the love that you have for all the holy ones
because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. (Col 1:3-5a)
St. Paul wrote a letter to the early Church, encouraging them in their practice of the faith. Paul’s style of ministry was to go into a new location and to share the faith. In short order, he would have leaders selected who would continue the work that he began. At that point, Paul would move on to another location and begin all over again.
As he moved from place to place, he received word about the communities that he had established. Based upon the reports, he would write letters either admonishing or praising the work that was going on.
He always heard about the places he left because one thing is certain: people love to talk.
They talk about everything.
And everyone.
If there were anything to say, it would definitely be repeated over and over again.
One thing is absolutely certain: people will talk about us. The question merely becomes: What will they say?
Will they say that we are friendly? Helpful? Courteous? Kind? Faithful? Trustworthy?
Or, will they say that we are unfriendly? Unhelpful? Discourteous? Mean? Unfaithful? Untrustworthy?
The word gets around.
FAITH ACTION: Reflect upon what people would say about you. Are you living the faith as openly as possible? If not, what can you do differently today to let others know of your love for God?