"Game On": A Reflection on the Second Reading for September 16th, 2018: Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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James 2:14-18

​What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

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Are you in the game, or are you watching from the sidelines? Are you a participant in your spiritual growth, or are you a spectator? What is your faith based on—being served, or being of service to others?

In my childhood, I witnessed the acts of service of my parents. They showed me what it meant to live out my faith. If there was a person in need, my parents were there to help and support. 

My dad was involved in the opening of a food bank in our community called Beacon House. He gave of his time regularly to deliver food and household items to people in need. This often involved rooting through heaps of donations and garbage that people would dump outside the building, and then carting off the dingy offerings to the dump.

My mom regularly delivered meals to shut-ins, communion to those unable to make it to mass and made home visits to friends in need.

God wants us to see this reading from James as a call to action. Get out there and live out your faith! Get in the game! If I wanted to learn about hockey, I wouldn’t get near as much out of reading about it, or watching it on tv, as I would if I got out there and actually played hockey! If I wanted to learn about music, I wouldn’t get near as much out of reading about it and listening to it, as I would if I actually learned to play music myself!

Our faith shouldn't be treated any differently. If I want to grow in my faith, I have to get out there and live it. I have to put into action that which I claim to be—a Christian. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are the physical beings through whom Jesus will work to bring others to faith. It is not enough to say to someone “I love you”. You have to make them feel loved, too.

The beautiful thing about putting our faith into action, is that it doesn’t only benefit those on the receiving end of our “works”—it benefits us too. We change. We become better people when we take the focus off ourselves, and focus more on others. We are His hands and feet in order that Jesus may work through us for the growth of the church, but also for our own personal growth.

Let this be our prayer today, that we get ourselves up out of the pews, and put our faith into action. Make a difference in someone’s day today, and you will begin to see the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

​Tammy LeBlanc

"We become better people when we take the focus off ourselves, and focus more on others." - Tammy LeBlanc (Ora Reflections)

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One great way to put your faith into action is to invite another to Explore More about life and faith. Invite others to try Alpha at Saint Benedict Parish on September 21st, 2018.