Do you ever feel there’s too much talk and not enough action? It is so much easier to talk than to act. Talking as a form of self-expression, as a means of discovery and learning, as a way of getting things off your chest for the purpose of healing, can certainly be beneficial. But, talk for the sake of talk doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. Such kind of talk is cheap.

This is why the Lord blesses those who put into practice what He teaches (Luke 11 : 28).

Television and radio shows feature expert talkers who can spout off about hunger without ever feeding anyone. They can talk about ending war without ever lifting a finger to stop it. How people love to talk about family life, about raising children, about being religious, about peace, about how to get along together! Yet, all the talk in the world rarely accomplishes anything of lasting value. People show what they really think and feel by what they do rather than by what they say.

So let’s stop talking, and start doing something purposeful.

The Lord commends those who do good works like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering to the homeless, helping the sick and those in distress. These are down-to-earth purposeful actions. He condemns those who fail to do these things. There is no word of blessing from Him for those who give only lip service but no practical service. There is no word of praise for those who did the planning and talked about the problem but didn’t follow through with real solutions. What He blesses is right action. Today, our bureaucracies have study-programs and more study-programs, yet little is ever done. It is so much easier to talk about overcoming evil than to get out there and do something about it.

Thus the Lord elevates right action towards the least among us as His path to follow ( Matthew 25 : 40 ).

Christian example is the primary language of the gospel. No one can argue against the proof of good example. The greatest heroes are the martyrs. These are the witnesses to the truth by what they do. These are the ones who are prepared to live their lives as the Lord commanded by putting themselves on the line and acting out of love, even to the point of death.

Let others theorize as much as they like, the true Christians are the ones who value example over words. They know what was is expected of them and they do it as a matter of duty in their everyday lives and surroundings.

—Fr. Hugh Duffy.