Knowing and Living

As for you, Capernaum... it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
Matthew 11:23,24

This passage reflects two essential truths: 1) there will be a judgment, and 2) it will be largely based on what we have had the opportunity to know about God. Every week we proclaim in the Creed our faith in Jesus Christ who "will come in glory to judge the living and the dead." We know judgment is a reality, but we often do our best to try to ignore it. But it is better to reflect often on this coming Day so that we will be ready when it comes.

Here in America we have been abundantly blessed with a wealth of knowledge about our Lord and His Gospel. I am very thankful for that. But with such knowledge comes the responsibility to live by it. The more we know, the more we are accountable for. "To whom much is given, much is required."

The uncomfortable truth is that most of us know much more than we live out. And here's the subtle deception: many of us think that if we know a truth it is the same as living it. But it's not. How many of us know that we are not only to love our neighbor, but our enemy as well? Does that get lived out at the office, or even driving to the office? We know that we are called to love people and use things, but it often gets reversed. We continue to buy things we really don't need and neglect the poor who really do need. Remember that in one of the key passages where we are actually given a criteria for the day of judgment we find that it is based on how we treated the poor- the least of our Lord's brothers (see Mt. 25).

The Lord is willing to bear with our weaknesses. That is, He sees our efforts at living out the Faith and, even though we often fail, He extends His everlasting mercy and grace. But what we must also remember is that when we choose to ignore parts of the Faith and intentionally indulge our sins, that is a different story. The person who lives in such a way is sinning the great sin of presumption and should not count on mercy, but judgment in the last day. Thus, our Lord continually calls out to us in love to repent.

I know much more than I am living out. Today, I want to search for one thing that has been a blind spot and ask God's help to begin living that part of the faith out in accordance with what I know. I can't allow for any excuses. It must be God's way. Because when it's all said and done, I don't want to finish worse than Sodom.