OUR THOUGHTS, OUR WORDS AND OUR ACTIONS

Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord says, ‘cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord…’ He goes further to say, ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when heat comes’ (Jr 17:5-8). St. Paul speaks about those who believe in the resurrection and those who question it and the implication of the disbelief (Cf 1 Cor 15:12. 16-20). Our Blessed Lord in the gospel of Luke enumerates those to whom belongs ‘Blessed are you’ or those who would receive, ‘woe to you’, (Cf Lk 6:17, 20-26).

Beloved People of God, whether it is the twelve, or the great crowd of his disciples or a great multitude of people, our thoughts, our words and or our actions are important. Sometimes, as major determinants, they show which side of the divide that we stand – the ‘cursed or the blessed’, those who believe in the resurrection or those who question it. This same divide also is what we find in the gospel – ‘blessed are you’ or ‘woe to you’.    

We pray to be conscious of our thoughts which often dictate our words and inform our action because the lines that separate each of them can be tiny, subtle and imperceptible, as it were. ‘May our hearts and minds delight in the law of the Lord. May we ponder his law, day and night’ (cf. Ps 1: 1-2. 3. 4. 6). In this way, we can become a dwelling pleasing to the Lord, bearing fruit for the Kingdom, ceaselessly.  

Fr. Ted