Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

There is a vast difference between being hearers of the Word of God and being doers of it. If we want to grow in faith, hope, and love, then we cannot stand idly by and do nothing. Our faith is an active one that requires constant and complete investment from the beginning of our lives to the very end. Our calling as Christians is to keep ourselves pure and undefiled, to do good and avoid evil, and to imitate Jesus in every way. We are asked by God to know, love, and serve Him and all His children with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. To do so means caring for others in their affliction, helping them in their times of need, and giving glory to God for everything He has given us.

Are we hearers or doers of the Word of God? How can we become more faithful to our Heavenly Father and our brothers and sisters in Christ? In what ways are we caring for those who are suffering or in need?

O Lord, makes us doers of your Word.

Amen.