Word to the Wise
Monday, April 23, 2007 - Third Monday in Easter
[Acts 6:8-15 and John 6:22-29]This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.
We Americans tend to define ourselves by what we do rather than who we are. Some of this may be the pragmatic individualism of our culture. Some of it may be a reaction to the class system that characterized Europe in the formative years of our republic. In any case, the tendency would have us focusing on the "works" of Jesus rather than his identity. I've mentioned here before Jesus' own statements to the contrary. The one just quoted is an example. In the Gospel of John, the "work" of God is to believe in God or bring others to faith. Occasionally I will get a question about the "works-faith" issue that played such an important part in the Protestant Reformation. Although this issue is not a publicly "hot" one, it has been the subject of important Roman Catholic/Lutheran documents. In any case, we Catholics sometimes get the notion that we can "work" our way into heaven and earn admission. This is not possible. It is faith - the relationship with God that saves. Our works must be reflections of that faith. Keeping this priority in mind can made a big difference. AMEN
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