Homily for Thursday, December 2, 2021

Homily given at Christian Brothers College High School, Town and Country, Missouri. A temptation of mine is to think that if a pray a little bit (intentions) and am basically a good person, meaning I don't murder anyone, then I will be saved. But today's gospel is a stark reminder that what I am tempted by is not enough for salvation. Not only do I need to call on God's name, more than that, I need to commit to actually doing what he tells me to do. I need not only to ask God to strengthen my faith, but to actually doing what his grace compels me to do in my actions, in the way I treat others, and what I do in prayer. Even in prayer our words are not enough -- they need to be built on the power of our actions inspired by God's grace. Readings for Today