Actions Speak Louder than Sermons?

I seem to always find inspiration to write an article when I am communing with nature; this time I was on my bike on a Sunday morning passing a very large local church as which must have just ended services.

Sadly, my first thought was wondering if people would even see me in their haste to get out of the church parking lot and get onto something else. Then I started wondering, “how many of these people take an additional hour (or more) out of their week to practice what is likely being preached”? Do even half of the people in this large crowd spend another hour each week sorting food, serving a meal, helping someone read, cleaning up trash … you get my drift, right?

During my childhood, I recall the dreaded Sunday service … it seemed like no one wanted to go, then the amazingly large amount of people that left right after communion; of those that didn’t leave, the parking lot scene after Mass resembled a four-way intersection where the traffic lights have lost power. 

Maybe I am the only one, but I’ve never been to a Mass where the priest said “instead of service next Sunday, I want you to go out and take the hour to help someone in our community.”  That seems like a reasonable request or should it even be a requirement? It also leads me to wonder how many religious anti-abortion activists have ever fostered a child, participated with an organization such as child advocates (http://www.cadvocates.org/), adopted a child or, for that matter, have any idea how many homeless children there are in Santa Clara county.

Next time you are preaching or being preached to, perhaps you should ask yourself, “how much time do I spend practicing”? “Do I judge or do I approach those less fortunate or different with dignity and compassion”? There are many, many organizations you can become involved with in our community; we must all remember that we can make a difference … are you ready for the challenge?