Faith without good works is dead

 

Welcome to my blog. Peace be with you.

Today the Lord tells us that the externals of religion alone will not save us. We need a faith which comes from a heart full of love for God. Such a faith will manifest itself in works of justice and love.

Wednesday 14 October 2020

Faith without good works is dead

 

Gospel

Luke 11:42-46

You overlook justice and the love of God

1.      The Lord said to the Pharisees:

2.      ‘Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs

3.      and overlook justice and the love of God!

4.      These you should have practised, without leaving the others undone.

5.      Alas for you Pharisees who like taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares!

6.      Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it!

 

7.      A lawyer then spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘when you speak like this you insult us too.’

 

8.      ‘Alas for you lawyers also,’ he replied ‘because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.’

 Prayerful reflection

The Pharisees gave great importance to the externals of their religion. They said prayers, they fasted, they tithed. But there was little if any connection with their daily living. Yet our daily living is important. We are to honour God, our Creator, not with words alone but with the lives we lead. Our lives are to be our hymn of praise.

We are to pray first and foremost to obtain the strength to live a life pleasing to God – a life of justice to others and of love. Without this kind of living, we will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. It is not by faith alone that we are saved. Faith is to love Jesus. If we truly love Jesus, then in accordance to the amount of love we have we will have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then leads us and through him we live a life of love and justice. The test of whether we have true faith is the life we lead. St. James tells us: faith without good works is dead. We may believe in Jesus, but that faith will not save us unless it blossoms into deeds of justice and love.

We are not to deceive ourselves by saying prayers, doing external works of fasting etc and on the other hand indulging in our desires. True faith will crucify our indulgent passions and desires.

Unlike the lawyers we are not to simply condemn those who do not come up to the standards of the faith, we must help them by our prayer and our encouragement.