Let Our Faith Be Seen in How We Live

Opening Prayer

Heavenly Father,
open our hearts and minds as we listen to Your Word.
Help us understand what You are teaching us today.
Give us the grace not only to hear Your Word, but also to live it in our daily lives.
Holy Spirit, guide us and lead us closer to Jesus.
Amen.

Ezekiel 43:1–7 — God Desires to Dwell With His People

Ezekiel sees the glory of God returning to the Temple. Earlier, because of Israel's sin and unfaithfulness, God's glory had departed. Now God shows Ezekiel that He desires to dwell among His people again.

This reminds us that God is faithful. Even when we turn away from Him through sin, He continues calling us back.

This does not mean that our sins do not matter. Sin damages our relationship with God. But when we sincerely repent and return to Him, God is merciful and ready to restore us.

Simple lesson: God does not give up on His people. He wants us to return to Him and allow Him to dwell in our hearts.

Psalm 84(85):9–14 — Listen to the Peace God Gives

The Psalm tells us:

“I will hear what the Lord God has to say, a voice that speaks of peace.”

God desires to give His people peace.

But we must learn to listen to Him. Sometimes we pray and expect God to answer immediately. When things do not happen according to our timing, we become impatient.

We need perseverance and trust. God's answer may not always be the answer we expect, but we can continue walking faithfully with Him.

God's peace does not necessarily mean that all our problems disappear. It means knowing that God is with us even while we are going through difficulties.

Simple lesson: Listen to God, remain faithful and trust Him even when you cannot yet see what He is doing.

Matthew 23:1–12 — Don't Just Look Holy

Jesus gives a strong warning about hypocrisy.

The scribes and Pharisees taught God's Law, but some did not practise what they taught.

This warning is also for us today.

We can know many Bible verses, attend Mass, join Church ministries, talk about God and appear very religious. These things are good—but they mean little if our behaviour contradicts what we profess.

We should ask ourselves:

Do I practise what I preach?

Sometimes we may also place burdens on other people that we ourselves would struggle to carry.

We might tell someone:

"You should forgive."

But when someone hurts us, we refuse to forgive.

We might say:

"Trust God."

But when difficulties come into our own lives, we immediately lose trust.

We might quote Scripture to correct someone else while refusing to allow the same Scripture to correct us.

Jesus is teaching us that faith should not become a performance.

Humility Is at the Heart of Christian Life

Jesus concludes:

“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” — Matthew 23:12

Christianity is not about proving that we are holier than someone else.

The more we grow closer to God, the more we should recognize that everything we have comes from His grace.

We are all sinners who need God's mercy.

Humility also means how we treat our brothers and sisters. Instead of looking down on someone because they struggle with sin, we should help them, pray for them and remember that we also have weaknesses.

A humble Christian does not say:

“Look how holy I am.”

A humble Christian says:

“Lord, help me become the person You want me to be.”

Connecting the Readings

These readings give us a simple journey:

Ezekiel: God desires to dwell among His people.

Psalm: Listen to God and receive His peace.

Matthew: If God truly lives in our hearts, our actions should begin to reflect our faith.

God does not want us simply to look holy.

He wants us to become holy through His grace.

Our faith should therefore be seen not only in the Scripture verses we know or the religious things we say, but in how we love, forgive, serve, help and treat others.

Before using God's Word to correct someone else, we should first allow God's Word to correct our own hearts.

Reflection Questions

Do my actions match the faith that I profess?
Do I sometimes try to appear holy or religious so that others will think well of me?
Do I give advice to others that I find difficult to practise myself?
When I read Scripture, do I first think about how it applies to me, or immediately think about someone else who needs to hear it?
Have I placed unnecessary burdens or expectations on other people?
Am I humble enough to admit when I am wrong?
What is one teaching of Jesus that I know well but still struggle to practise?
How can I allow God's Word to change the way I treat others this week?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father,
thank You for speaking to us through Your Word.

Forgive us for the times when our words and actions do not match our faith. Keep us from pride and from judging others while ignoring our own weaknesses.

Give us humble hearts. Help us practise what we preach, support those who are struggling, and treat everyone with love and mercy.

May Your Holy Spirit help us not simply to appear holy, but to grow in true holiness each day.

Help us become more like Jesus in everything we say and do.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Catechumen’s Companion