WALKING THE WALK
When I first entered the novitiate as a Basilian, we were told to wear a sort of habit. It was a white shirt with a distinctive cross. It was meant to identify us as priests in training. What I appreciated about it was that it was not overly religious, but when we were together, it clearly meant something.
Now that I am ordained, I am most often in black. It identifies me as a priest, which can be a scary thing because it demands that I live up to the role.
But it also quite helpful, because it reminds me that my actions matter more than my words. I think the same is true for those who wear wedding rings or other identifiable garments or jewelry.
And I think God would agree. In our Gospel today, Jesus is clear: we will be judged, not on what we proclaim, but how we act. If we say we are Christian, then we have to walk the walk, but first we need to know what that means.
CLICK HERE for the readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ezekiel 18:25-28; Psalm 25; Philippians 2:1-5; Matthew 21:28-32).