The Gospel today triggered the thought of a conversation Jay and I had with a good friend of his years ago . . . a non-Catholic, but strong Christian. He said works have nothing to do with going to heaven. Belief that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior was all we needed. Well, I can understand after reading the passage below how other Christian religions believe this. So I searched the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website (where I get the daily readings) for some back up. The first thing I found regarding works is a letter from St. Pope John Paul II. Here is a snippet from this beautiful letter:
"The liturgy itself is prayer; the confession of faith finds its proper place in the celebration of worship. Grace, the fruit of the sacraments, is the irreplaceable condition for Christian living, just as participation in the church's liturgy requires faith. If faith is not expressed in works, it is dead (cf. Jas. 2:14-16) and cannot bear fruit unto eternal life." John Paul II
Works are important and necessary on our journey toward eternity, lay apostles. What works can you honor Jesus with today?
In today's Gospel (John 6:22-29) Jesus sets the crowd straight:
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread when the Lord gave thanks. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
In Anne's book Climbing the Mountain, she urges us to detach from desiring any ego stroking in our works, lest we find ourselves in the trap of the enemy:
"Very often, to protect our humility, the Lord Himself will conceal the fruits of our efforts. But I am not talking about that here. I am talking instead about the concentrated effort of the enemy of goodness to persuade us to stop our heavenly service by convincing us that our sacrifices are neither appreciated nor effective. This should not sneak up on us because it is such a predictable snare, but alas, it does. It is here that we need to learn Holy Indifference. This concept, identified by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, allows us to work hard but be detached from the outcome of our efforts. It is enough that Jesus has asked us to complete a task. Our “yes” answers to God give Him the praise and honor He is entitled to. What He brings through our “yes” answers and our efforts is up to Him. The way I see it, this attitude removes us from the enemy’s line of fire. If I am acting in good faith, in prayerful obedience to the will of God, I do not need to annoy myself with the outcome of my works. I leave the outcome to Him, who after all is the Director of all service. I may not see the need for an action but I will complete the action. I may not see the benefit of the action I have performed but I commit the act to His divine power and let Him do what He wishes with it. If we proceed in this way, we will be liberated from the outcome of any of our works."
Lay apostles, yes, works matter. We must continually strive to do God's Will in everything we do. Don't just give lip service to the fact you are a Christian . . . prove it! Do everything for His Glory, and I mean everything. You will soon realize you are accomplishing the works of God on a daily basis.
Thank you, Lord, for all the opportunities every day to do Your Will. Help me to be alert at all times, seeking to find what You have placed before me.
God bless,
Bonnie
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