Dear Friend of Carmel Mission,
For the next five Sundays we will be reading from the Letter of St. James. St. James addresses his letter to the entire early church rather than to an individual person or a specific community. This “universal letter” has been compared by some scholars to the Old Testament’s wisdom literature, and provides many relevant insights into the life of discipleship. One sentence stood out for me from today’s passage, “ Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” (James 1:22) This is at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We are called not only to hear God’s Word, but to put it into action.
St. Francis of Assisi famously said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” The greatest witness we can bring to the power of the Gospels is how they impact our own lives and how they inspire us to care for and love one another. When we radiate the joy and peace we experience in our loving relationship with God, we attract others. We do not have to “convert” them, we can simply live our lives in an authentic manner, and let them know that it is being a follower of Jesus that gives us this freedom to love. Tertullian, a prolific Christian author in the late second and early third centuries, wrote that others, observing the lives of the early Christians, would remark, “See, how they love one another.” We must strive that those observing us today would be inspired to say the same.
As I consider our community of Carmel Mission, I am gratified and personally inspired that we have so many wonderful ministries who are indeed being doers of the word on a daily basis. It is at the forefront of my mind that this is a crucial aspect of our mission as a community of faith. I thank you for all you do to support these efforts.
I wish you and your loved ones continued blessings of good health, great peace, and the inspiration of the Word,
Fr. Paul
Please take a moment to read our Carmel Mission Weekly Bulletin.