Like many others in this country, the Archdiocese of Edmonton is blessed with parishioners from a variety of cultures and languages. It is a particular joy for me to visit a parish and hear the people praying and singing in their native tongue (Cree, Vietnamese, Croatian, for example, and many more). Often, I don't understand a word of it. It sounds beautiful, but the meaning escapes me. To understand, translation is required. By means of a translator, sound becomes word, and perplexity is transformed into comprehension.
The Gospel passage for last Sunday (cf. Matthew 21: 28-32) is all about the need for clear translation. Jesus speaks of the need not only to say we will do the will of God, but also to accomplish that word in action. As Christians, we proclaim that Jesus is our Lord. For others to understand these words, they need to be translated clearly into not other words but actions.
By what acts, then, do we show clearly what is meant by the words we profess? The first, and font of all others, is the act of faith. We say that Jesus is Lord and Saviour. This translates into act when we place all of our hopes in him, surrendering with trust in his love and wisdom to the truth of who he is and what he reveals. It translates further into conversion. By changing our lives to live more in conformity with the teaching of Christ and his Church we make visible in act what we say in speech.
Because we believe, we pray. Recognizing that all comes from the goodness of God, we offer prayers daily in thanksgiving and petition, recognizing peacefully that God is our loving Father who will never leave us forsaken. The act of prayer embraces and flows from a reflective reading of the Word of God, undertaken that we might obey what we hear. This obedience leads us to participate in the life of the Church, since Christ gave his life to form us into a communion, which is his mystical Body on earth. This participation reaches its peak in the sacraments, especially in the frequent celebration of Eucharist and Penance.
A particularly clear action that translates our Christian words is service of others, especially of those in need. Pope Francis is demonstrating this to great effect. Our relationships in general will translate the faith we profess when they are marked by truth, honesty and respect.
Our actions will also translate back to us the degree to which we are allowing the Word of God to transform us. It is important to examine our actions daily and allow them to instruct us. In golf we say, "the ball doesn't lie." In other words, I might feel that my swing is good, but a slice or hook will tell me truthfully that there is something I have to do differently. Similarly, I might think I am a faithful Christian, but my actions don't lie. If I am not praying, meditating upon God's Word, participating in the sacraments, serving others, or dealing honestly in relationships, then those same actions are telling me I have to change. Let's pray this week for the grace to examine our lives, and ask God for the help we need to make sure that our words of faith find clear translation in our deeds.
