Immersed in Christ: Friday, July 9, 2021

“Doers”, not just “Hearers”

St. James said: “Be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves” (James 1:22). It helps little to take a fresh look at the Mass if what we see does not change what we do.

If you are going to offer yourself – consciously, actively, fully – with Christ, when the host is lifted up at Mass, that involves three things:

1. A fresh acceptance of the mystery of your new identity. At baptism, you “became Christ”. It is only because of that mystery that you can see yourself to Christ offering his body in Mass for the life of the world.

2. A fresh understanding and acceptance of your baptismal anointing as “priest”: The words of anointing with chrism at baptism were: “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so live always as a member of his body”. What do you choose to do?

3. A fresh commitment to bring the offering of yourself down to Earth in daily life. By accepting baptism, you accepted, as an inseparable part of it, the “work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”. This is your job.

Take Action: Make a commitment! Pray deeply, asking God what He might be asking of you. It need not be something big. Perhaps it is saying a kind word to someone you find annoying. Maybe it's visiting a sick person at home or in the hospital. Do something to make forward progress in your "ministry to buid up the body of Christ."