Preach

“Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.” (Saint Charles Borromeo).

Jesus Crucified (Catholic Prints)

When I was a little girl, my mother always told me that I should. Practice what I preach.

Now I am sure that she used to say this so often because I am the eldest child in a large family and I have many siblings.  As such I am sure that my mother dealt with many many instances of sibling rivalry.  In addition, my mother was probably witness to countless episodes of hypocrisy, where one child would berate another for their behaviours or choices, while simultaneously acting in an utterly appalling fashion.

Saint Charles Borromeo said, “Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.”

And when I read that phrase the other day, it reminded me of my mother.  After all, how many Christian pastors have come “unstuck” because though they preached beautifully their lives were terribly sinful and they were not really ever practicing what they preached.

This was the case with the Pharisees, and Christ had a particular aversion to this.

You see, the Pharisees were pretty good at preaching very high standards.  They knew how to make sure that everyone had a list of rules (as long as their arm – so to speak) that they could refer back to.  And yet, they were not sinless, nor were they able to live by the spirit of God’s law – rather they were trapped in the letter of the law and followed the rules without understanding the love behind those rules.

And God can fill my soul with the peace that I need to follow His law.  He can inspire me to reflect on my own life and to constantly seek to live a life that is pleasing to Him by practising what I preach.

And I have been thinking about that as I have been thinking about my God.  You see, my mother must have been right, all those years ago when she reminded her children that we needed to practice what we preached.

After all, that is really the essence of our faith.  We are called not just to speak the truth but to live it in the very essence of our lives.  We are called to show others the Glory of God through the lived experience of our lives.  And this does not mean that I am supposed to be perfect – I have no chance of that.  I am flawed and sinful and imperfect in every way.  But, what I do have is the intention in my soul and my very best effort and the desires of my heart.

And I have been thinking about that today as I have been thinking about my Mother.  For it seems there was the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in her when she taught me that I needed to practice what I preach!

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.