St. Pius X Roman Catholic Parish

St. Francis of Assisi is report to have once said, “Preach
always; sometimes use words.” What he was, in effect, telling his listeners is
that we are constantly called upon to be witnesses to the risen Jesus, to let
others know that he is alive, and, therefore, we have reason to live our lives
with courage and hope. We witness to the reason for courage and hope most
effectively not by what we say, but by what we do. To use a contemporary
expression, “Talking the talk is good, but walking the walk is far better.” We
hear in today’s gospel that Jesus “taught…as one having authority, and not as
the scribes.” Jesus had authority because his deeds matched his words. He
practiced what he preached. For some, that authority drew them to him, and they
became disciples. For others, that authority threated and angered them. They
set out to get rid of him. A couple of questions for you and me: How does the
authority of Jesus’ words sit with us? How do our words and actions coincide
with each other?