When Faith and Work Must Go Together

The 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time gives us a reading from St. James. Hearing the passage may bring back memories of Protestants who once used a line from the passage to augment their point as to why Protestants are better than Catholics. It can often be misinterpreted.

The pivotal point in the reading for this Sunday was a question posed by St. James. He writes, “If someone says he has faith but does not have works, can that faith save him?” The heart of the question raises the question of faith. Yes, we must have faith in Christ. However, that faith must be put into action.

Every day, Catholics put their faith into the works that they do. We do it through service, prayer, and evangelization

Service

Catholics have the works of mercy. The first seven calls us to help others through tangible means like food, drink, clothes, and even our presence.

Prayer

One thing that Protestants seem to do well is their prayer. They’ve used scripture in much of their praying endeavors, even knowing the bible from beginning to end.

Evangelization

For Catholics, we are called to evangelize. Some can do it through our talents in music, writing, and oration. Then, others evangelize through their examples.

St. James ends the letter with a challenge, “Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.”

In other words, faith and works must go together. If one is Catholic, it must be shown.

On social media, one may notice on their daily or frequent scrolls a feature that reads, “Tell me you’re ______ without telling me you are one.” Or something along those lines.

Well, now is the time to show how one is Catholic through their faithful example.

Our faith must be put into action. If not, it would be dead. Live out the faith and never be afraid of it.