“Actions speak louder than words!” “Talk is cheap!” “Put your money where your mouth is!” “Do as I say, not as I do!” “Say what you mean and mean what you say!” All of these sayings have to do with “paying lip service” rather than getting something done. Most, if not all, of us are guilty of doing this at some point in our lives—talking about something but not doing anything. We must remember, however, that actions speak louder than words! This adage is also very true in our faith lives.
In this weekend’s Gospel reading, we hear the story of the two brothers who respond differently to the Father’s request. One brother says what the Father wants to hear, while the other eventually does what the Father wills—and is ultimately esteemed by Jesus. These two practical examples in the Parable of the Two Sons emphasize the importance of actions over words in our faith lives. Thus, this teaching offers important insights for the life of discipleship.
First, note how easily one can say “yes” to God’s will without understanding what that commitment entails or without even intending to fulfill it in daily life. We enter into commitments of faith sometimes without even realizing it. Such commitments benefit us only if we are prepared to fulfill them. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ time went to hear John the Baptist’s preaching (Matthew 3:5–7a), but they did not conform their lives to it. Therefore, they implicitly said “yes” by going to hear him but then failed to respond to his teaching and ended up saying “no.” For Christians, upon our baptisms, we enter into commitments of faith that oblige us to become members of Christ’s Body, temples of the Holy Spirit, children of God, active members of the Church, and so forth. We also enter into a profound commitment of faith when we receive the Eucharist and are commissioned to become the Body of Christ in the world, allowing the Lord’s presence in the Eucharist to live in and through us.
The second thing to focus on is the importance that Jesus gives to actually doing the will of God. A great saying states, “People may not believe what you say, but they will believe what you do.” Matthew’s Gospel previously reiterated this point when Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (7:21–22). Actions always speak louder than words. In an ideal world, both our words and actions would conform to the will of God. The sad reality of human weakness is that it is easier to say the right thing than to do the right thing. So, in our relationships with God, our actions are usually what’s lacking. An authentic relationship of faith calls for a complete and consistent response to God’s will—both in what we profess and how we live.
The question for each of us this week is, “Do I walk the talk of my faith, or do I simply talk about my faith but not really live it out in my everyday life?” A wonderful role model for each of us is St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis actually lived out his faith daily instead of simply preaching about it. The famous quote (misattributed to St. Francis), “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words,” is something we are all required to do as disciples of Jesus Christ.
