Friday December 15, 2023

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“The more we try to prove our faith by how we live our faith, the purer our faith becomes.”

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Good News Reflection for:

Friday of the Second Week of Advent
December 15, 2023

Today’s Prayer:

Lord: I submit to You all my prejudices and my points of view. I want to give room for the freedom of Your Holy Spirit in me. Amen.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
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Today’s Readings:

Isaiah 48:17-19
Ps 1:1-4, 6 (see also John 8:12)
Matthew 11:16-19
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121523.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-december-15-2023

Proving the wisdom of our beliefs

The point Jesus makes in today’s Gospel reading is summed up in the line: “But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

As we try to give birth to Jesus in today’s world, serving as evangelizers, sharing Jesus with others, we often need vindication. There are plenty of people who dislike us or reject our wisdom because they misunderstand the faith that we have. However, if they were to pay attention and observe us astutely, they’d see proof that we are wise to have this faith. The proof is in the good works that we do. It’s in our Christ-like behavior. It’s in our sometimes supernatural ability to withstand difficulties without looking defeated.

Our good deeds and our loving actions reveal God’s presence within us, and these are the only justifications that we need. For, without our loving Father dwelling within us, without Christ redeeming us, and without the Holy Spirit empowering us, we would be self-centered snobs who cause more chaos and confusion than children scrambling around the marketplace shouting jibes at each other about flutes and dirges. (I know that’s how I’d be if God were not the source and center of my life.) We would be just as easily misled by the facts in front of us as the people who thought that John the Baptist was demonized and that Jesus was a party pig.

In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” We use this in our response to today’s Psalm reading; it explains why we have wisdom instead of confusion: “Those who follow you, Lord, have the light of life.”

When we’re immersed in the light of Christ, we have the ability to see how foolish it is to follow the counsel of the wicked, as today’s responsorial psalm describes.

When we’re immersed in the light of Christ, we have his life growing in our lives, and thus we are like a tree planted near an endless source of nourishment. We thrive, our works produce wonderful fruits, and we grow stronger during trials rather than wither up and shrivel into chaff that gets easily blown away by the hardships.

Such faith is the best proof in the world that God is real and that Jesus is truly our Savior. The next time you’re misunderstood and you feel tempted to defend your faith and explain your motives, zip your mouth shut and let your Godly works do the talking. This isn’t easy, though, because we want instant vindication. We need to remind ourselves that God defends us far better than we could, and he does it by doing his works through us, which is often the only language that disbelievers understand.

Some people will eventually be converted by this. Others will remain blind to the truth due to their stubborn resistance. God’s vindication might take a long time before it bears fruit that we can enjoy. However, regardless of what happens to those who observe our Christianity, our faith will grow.

The more we try to prove our faith by how we live our faith, the purer our faith becomes.

For more on this subject, read our WordByte called: “Corporal and Spiritual Ministries of Mercy” @ https://wordbytes.org/master-needs-you/ministries-of-mercy/.

© 2023 by Terry A. Modica

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