You Have One Job

Sep. 24: Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

No matter what our station in life, no matter who we are, who we're related to, what matters is our actions.

Reading 1

Prv 21:1-6, 10-13

Like a stream is the king’s heart in the hand of the LORD; wherever it pleases him, he directs it. All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes, but it is the LORD who proves hearts. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Haughty eyes and a proud heart–the tillage of the wicked is sin. The plans of the diligent are sure of profit, but all rash haste leads certainly to poverty. Whoever makes a fortune by a lying tongue is chasing a bubble over deadly snares. The soul of the wicked man desires evil; his neighbor finds no pity in his eyes. When the arrogant man is punished, the simple are the wiser; when the wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge. The just man appraises the house of the wicked: there is one who brings down the wicked to ruin. He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard.

Even a king, the ruler of an entire nation, has to answer to God. He can afford great sacrifices, offering many fatted calves and much incense, but none of that is truly important. If he rules rightly and justly, as God directs his heart, that is more acceptable to God than any sacrifice.

That's true of everybody. We may have a lot or may have a little; we might be great or small. But doing what God asks of us is the core of it all.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 119:1, 27, 30, 34, 35, 44

R. (35) Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.

None of us is perfect; even in the proverbs above, the wise man must be instructed. This will happen to all of us, as a consequence of our actions. But the wise look at consequences and learn, while the wicked see them as simply punishments.

So, if we want to do what is right and just, we must first ask for discernment, to know what is right and just.

Alleluia

Lk 11:28

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
and observe it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Hearing the Word is not enough. We can't just listen, study, sit back and observe. We have to actually do something with our faith.

Gospel

Lk 8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.”

He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

There is no shortcut to Jesus, not even for his closest friends and relatives. The only way to truly be a Christian is to hear and believe the Gospel, and then apply it to our own lives.

As an aside: sometimes this passage is used as a way to denigrate our Holy Mother, to claim she's not that important. First, imagine the situation--Jesus has been preaching at length, offering one parable after another.

Then His mom and cousins show up. Does He stop mid-speech to say hi? No, He rolls them into His sermon.

And how does He do that? By way of metaphor. He tells the crowd they (and we) can be His family if they (and we) just follow His commandments to love God and one another.

But if Mary is insignificant, nothing special, then the metaphor doesn't make a lick of sense. "If you hear the word of God and act on it, you'll be just like this lady here, who's nothing special."

No, by telling us we'll be like His family, Jesus is emphasizing how important it is to act on the word of God. Turning our hearts to God's will means we'll be emulating the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven and Mother of God. It's a really big deal.