Saint Lucy
MT 21:28-32
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Putting Words Into Action
The principle, “We are what we do and often not what we say we are,” has captured the imaginations of artists throughout history, like Jane Austen in literature or Montgomery Clift in film. The idea goes back to Aristotle’s virtue ethics. It is not different in our time. No matter how frequently reintroduced, the principle doesn’t become cliché. And Jesus wants us to hear it anew today. If I say one thing but do another, which is true of me?
In a world so keen on labels of identity, let us closely examen what truly makes us who we are, our actions. If I call myself a nurse but never practice the craft, am I still rightly called a nurse? How about being a Christian? Do I do the Father’s will, or am I a Christian in name only? Pick any label for which you think you identify. It works the same. When we put our own will into action, its power changes us. It makes us into nurses, mothers, fathers, Christians, and other savory and unsavory things. Use your powers wisely.
—Adam Bohan, SJ, is a scholastic of the Midwest Province working as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Loyola University Medical Center.
Prayer
Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you.
—Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas