We see at times in life a gap between belief and practice. Those who proclaim faith in Jesus as savior or praise him loudly in rallies are not always reliable in following his teaching on justice, mercy, forgiveness and charity. Those whom we never see in Church are at times a better brother or sister to their neighbor, a more peaceful companion at work, a more caring parent or spouse. Words do not mean anything when they are not accompanied by actions. Worse, our words lose their value when our actions contradict them. Nobody will believe our words anymore.
Every time we celebrate the sacrament of baptism, parents and godparents promise to raise the child as good Christians. In confirmation, those who will be confirmed would proclaim to stand firm in the practice of the faith, and in marriage, the couple exchanges vows of exclusive and permanent love, “for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do they part.” Nevertheless, we realize that every day is a struggle to make these promises come true.
In baptism, we all said our “yes” to God. Every time we come to church, we dip our fingers in the holy water and make the sign of the cross on ourselves. This we do as a renewal of our “yes” to God in baptism. But that is not enough. In fact, it is meaningless if we do not support it with actions. Let us make sure our “yes” to God is seen in our actions, behavior and obedience to his commands. And this we have to do every day for the rest of our lives.
Efren Tomas
In 2004, Father Efren arrived on Maui, Hawaii to be the Pastor of Christ The King Catholic Church in Kahului, Maui until 2012. He calls Christ The King his home because this was his first parish in Hawaii.