Actions speak louder than words. We must do more than speak, telling people (and ourselves) what should be done; we must act. If all we do is talk, we will not improve anything. This is not to say we should never speak, for speaking can help reveal to others (and perhaps ourselves) what needs to be done. However, our words will prove to be empty if they do not lead us, and others, to do something, to make things better.
We must always keep in mind not everyone is equally equipped to deal with every potential situation which lies before us. When addressing systemic injustice, many people have little to no power or authority themselves, especially if they are the ones suffering from such injustice. This is not to say there is nothing they can do, but we must keep in mind, those who have more power over the situation are the ones who must be addressed and encouraged to do what is right. Other people might find the only thing they can do is point out the problems which lie before us, to point out whatever injustices which are causing problems in the world, and so, the only thing they can do is speak out. On the other hand, in many other contexts, the issues are far more personal, and in such situations, speaking out without acting out on our words end up making the situation worse, for we turn ourselves into being hypocrites, becoming that much more culpable for what we do. This is especially true in regards the spiritual life; we can speak on theological and moral matters to the day we die, and though there might be some good in that, if that is all we do, we ultimate bear no lasting fruit, which is why spiritual masters always remind us we must eventually silence ourselves so that we can then take the time we have to act, doing what is needed to be done that will at least plant the seeds of change so that we can eventually establish in ourselves (or others) the good which we know should be done:
An elder said. “There is no need for words only, for there are many words in people nowadays, but there is need for action. That is what is sought, not words, which bear no fruit.”[1]
Often, we do not want to hear this. It is usually far easier to speak than it is to act, especially if we end up speaking on matters which require little from ourselves but much from others, as, for example, when we find men speaking about what pregnant mothers should and should not be doing. They cannot know all that women know, especially when the pregnancy proves to be difficult. It is easy for men to tell women to hold out, to be patient, to bear with it, but such men in other situations would find themselves bearing far less than they expect such women to endure before giving up.
Moving Beyond Words
When our words require nothing from us, we think we can make ourselves look good by speaking, acting like we are wise beyond our years. Often, we end up becoming a busybody, speaking on matters we really do not have as much knowledge and experience as we should have in order to speak on them. We end up promoting the way we wish things to be instead of how they should be (as can be seen in the way so many treat science, or health and wellness, which is why pseudo-science is able to be so effective, because it tells us what we want to hear). In such situations, whenever we find ourselves being challenged to learn, or to do things we wish we did not have to do, we end up becoming quarrelsome. We end up giving all kinds of excuses as to why we should forgo what is expected of us. Indeed, we often end up becoming lazy, trying to find reasons to justify our laziness, sometimes, using spiritual obligations as our excuse:
A brother was working on a day when a martyr as being commemorated. Another brother saw him and said to him, “Is it possible to be working today?” The other said to him, “On this day the servant of God was tortured and beaten bearing witness [to his faith]; and ought I not to put a little effort into the work today?”[2]
The Sabbath was made for us; it is meant to give us rest, to help us relax, so we can have the strength and energy we need to carry on. We cannot rest if we find ourselves working through all kinds of legalities concerning the Sabbath, or if we create more legalities hoping to extend the legalities we made concerning the Sabbath far more prevalent throughout the year (such as those who would turn the feast day of a martyr-saint into a secondary Sabbath). Just as Jesus reminded us that there will always be some working on the Sabbath, so we find the spiritual elder in this story reminding the other monk that the martyr-saints who was being commemorated worked on the day they died, showing that we, likewise, should not consider such work as unbecoming of us. We must not use the Sabbath, or various feast days throughout the year, to justify sloth, ignoring the responsibilities we have and which need to fulfill.
Heal the Harm We Have Caused
We must, therefore, work out our own salvation, doing so, of course, by cooperating with grace. We should not be hypocrites. We should be careful about the words we use, making sure we speak in ways which do not end up becoming some sort of self-condemnation. Nonetheless, we can and should also acknowledge our own weaknesses as we promote what is good and just, and in doing so, explain not only why we should be shown mercy and compassion as we try to do better, but why others, likewise, should be accorded the same mercy and compassion. We should be working to change ourselves for the better, even as we should be working to promote the common good, making sure we contribute more to what is good in the world than what is bad. We certainly need to know how to go about doing this, which is why it is important that some speak out and explain not only what should be done, by why. What we must make sure we do not do is becoming so focused on trying to make those determinations we end doing nothing. We have a limited time to act. There are things we innately know are wrong, and we should deal with them the best we can, even as we try to understand the greater picture and what else we should be doing; after all, if we were struck by a bullet, and it lodged itself in us, we would seek to have it taken out (by those who are properly skilled in doing so). It is this spirit which we need to embrace in our own lives. We should always try to heal the harm which we have caused, not only to the world around us, but ourselves, even as we work to make the world a better place. If we don’t, come to the final judgment, Jesus will confront us with his love and mercy but also with justice, and with that justice, he will ask us why – why didn’t we do what he told us we should do, why didn’t we live out the expectations of love. What will we have to say to him then? What words will we use to answer him?
[1] The Book of Elders. Sayings of the Desert Fathers. The Systematic Collection. trans. John Wortley (Collegeville, MN: Cistercian Publications, 2012), 172 (James 4).
[2] The Book of Elders. Sayings of the Desert Fathers. The Systematic Collection , 173 (N 86).
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