Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own. — Psalm 15:1a

Mass Readings: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8 / James 1:17-18,21b-22,27 / Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 

Be Doers 

My friend Helen grows a luscious vegetable garden in the middle of Washington, D.C. I credit her farm upbringing with rubbing off on me, a concrete and skyscrapers city girl. Helen opened my mind to the wonder of planting seeds. In my limited experience as a grower, I quickly learned the importance of keeping up with a garden — weeding, watering, and even harvesting in order to foster growth. 

This is what I hear James caution in today’s second reading when he insists, be “doers of the word” and not “hearers only.” It’s not enough to plant the seed of faith. I must nurture it, weed it, cultivate it with action: striving to live out the Beatitudes; making use of the sacraments; making the corporal works of mercy a part of my daily life. 

Prayer: O God, help me do one thing today to nourish my faith.