“He would be everywhere, whenever his friends gathered to pray. He would continue to act through them just as he promised: forgiving sins, sharing mercy, bringing young and old into the embrace of eternal life through Baptism, and feeding their very souls with himself, the Bread of Life. He would remain on earth through his Church.” (Great Adventure Kids Catholic Bible Chronicles, by Amy Welborn, p 265)
There is one command at the end of the Gospel of Matthew; to go and make disciples. A disciple doesn’t just believe, but acts. He imitates his leader. As we recognize in James 2:26 that faith without works is dead, we are called to live our faith out in our daily life. By doing so, we inspire others to follow similarly.
Catholic Social Teaching explains, “No one can be a Christian merely for his own benefit. Coming to Jesus, seeking his friendship, and following him also means publicly professing faith in him, allowing him to speak to us and commission us. All of us must be ‘messengers’ and ‘witnesses’ of the Gospel.” (DOCAT 235)
So that we might proclaim the Kingdom of God in word and deed, God gives us the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Having wonder and awe of how good God is, we will seek to please Him by sharing this same goodness. We show what we believe by loving one another.
In the end, God will measure our lives by how much we love. How much we love Him will show by spilling over to how much we love those that he has placed in our path. Christ lives in us through our words, healing, sharing, acts of kindness and mercy. Unconditionally serving one another is essential to true love.
“Él estaría en todas partes, siempre que sus amigos se reunían para orar. Continuaría actuando a través de ellos tal como lo prometió: perdonando los pecados, compartiendo la misericordia, llevando a jóvenes y mayores al abrazo de la vida eterna a través del Bautismo, y alimentando sus almas con sí mismo, el Pan de Vida, permanecerá en la tierra a través de su Iglesia”. (Great Adventure Kids Catholic Bible Chronicles, por Amy Welborn, p 265)
Hay un mandamiento al final del Evangelio de Mateo; para ir y hacer discípulos. Un discípulo no sólo cree, sino que actúa. Imita a su líder. Como reconocemos en Santiago 2:26 que la fe sin obras es muerta, estamos llamados a vivir nuestra fe en nuestra vida diaria. Al hacerlo, inspiramos a otros a seguir de manera similar.
La enseñanza social de la Iglesia explica: “Nadie puede ser cristiano sólo por su propio beneficio. Ir a Jesús, buscar su amistad y seguirlo significa también profesar públicamente la fe en él, dejar que nos hable y nos encomiende. Todos nosotros debemos ser ‘mensajeros’ y ‘testigos’ del Evangelio”. (DOCAT 235)
Para que podamos proclamar el Reino de Dios en palabra y obra, Dios nos da los dones del Espíritu Santo. Sintiéndonos maravillados y asombrados de lo bueno que es Dios, buscaremos agradarle compartiendo esta misma bondad. Mostramos lo que creemos amándonos unos a otros.
Al final, Dios medirá nuestras vidas por cuánto amamos, y eso se demuestra al derramar el amor a aquellos que él ha puesto en nuestro camino. Cristo vive en nosotros a través de nuestras palabras, la sanación, al compartir, los actos de bondad y la misericordia. Servirnos incondicionalmente unos a otros es esencial para el amor verdadero.
Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.
Feature Image Credit: Clay Banks, unsplash.com/photos/YrYSlTuBvBA
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