Reading I: Jeremiah 20:10-13
Reading II: Romans 5:12-15
GOSPEL: Matthew 10:26-33

Be Willing to Share

I have known many people throughout the course of my life and a good number of them consider themselves Christians. They’re good people, they go to Mass on Sundays, they pray before meals (and other times occasionally), and they truly believe that they have been redeemed and saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But today’s Gospel reading points out that those things are not enough. Being Christian does not simply mean that you believe in your own salvation through Jesus. Being Christian means quite a bit more!

Practice What You Preach

How many times have we heard that one before? For me, it brings to mind images of people who are very quick to tell others how to live their lives yet don’t take their own advice. It’s the boss who expects a prompt response but takes a week to respond to a simple request. It’s the father who demands respect from his teenage son yet shows no respect to his own parents.

It’s easy to look at situations like that – and many other purely Christian examples – and understand that our actions must reflect the words that we proclaim. For some reason, understanding that being hypocritical is not a good thing comes naturally to us. But what about the reverse? Why is it so hard to see that the other way around is important too?

Preach What You Practice

At a very basic level, being a follower of Christ – a Christian – is to follow the example of Jesus in every way. Yes, we are called to live good lives, to love one another, and to follow His commandments. But even though actions can often speak louder than words, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t share our words with others too.

In order to practice what we preach, we must actually preach something in the first place. We must share the Good News with the people around us. We should not be ashamed to speak to others about our faith in Jesus Christ. We should be excited to stand up and proclaim that we are Christians!

Being a follower of Christ involves more than our actions; it involves more than our words. Being a follower of Christ means believing it with our minds, feeling it with our hearts, showing it with our actions, and proclaiming it with our words! For as Jesus told us in the Gospel reading this week, if we acknowledge him before others, he will acknowledge us before the Father. We know the Good News – so let’s be more willing to share!

Life Applications:

How do you practice what you preach?
How do you preach what you practice?
What do you think it means to be a Christian?

Original article by Brandon Jubar, 2005 – 2020.
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