Words and actions

In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, Fr Richard considers the relationship between our words and actions. Which is harder, and which is more effective?

Readings for Thursday of the 1st week of Advent: Isaiah 26.1-6; Psalm 118,1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a; Matthew 7.21, 24-27. Text of readings can be found here.

Whenever a game of football or rugby is in full flow, especially when the Welsh national team are playing, you can be certain that those watching will offer their opinions, often forcefully, about the performance of the team. The spectators will often comment about a shot on goal that was missed, poor defensive work, or a badly executed line-out. The language used can frequently be interesting. One wonders, however, how well many of these people watching would fare if they actually entered the field of play themselves!

“Actions speak louder than words”, so the saying goes. It’s also true that taking action is a lot harder than just talking about something. This is the essence of Jesus’ message in today’s Gospel. What counts, he says, is not just speaking a form of words but actually doing the will of his Father. Acting on the Father’s commands, entering the field of play, is likened to the wise man who builds his house on the rock. Digging into solid earth is hard work indeed, but Jesus declares that it will be worth it when the storms come and the house is still standing afterwards.

We might liken this to a church which takes time to engage with its community, works to support the marginalised, and campaigns for social justice. It’s hard work, it takes effort, and often the results are not obvious. It would be much easier to stand on the side-lines and mouth platitudes, but this would be to build our house on sand. Doing the real work of the Gospel, carrying out the will of the Father, is challenging and never easy, but it represents that firm foundation which, with his grace supporting us, will endure and bear fruit.