What did you do today?

       Is it normal to always be asking yourself, "Am I doing enough?" In today's passage it seems to me that we are called to action. The old phrase that they will know 'we are Christians by our love', love being an action word - a verb. It goes back to what Saint Francis said about faith - 'preach the Gospel always, use words only if necessary'.  We have such a plethora of denominations and in many cases they are based on some moose nugget of doctrinal difference that have arisen over the ages. I have often railed on what I perceive as fake Christians who proclaim in all self righteousness and vigor that they are Christians only to find their doctrines and actions completely unChristian. The fake Christian base their actions on cherry picked snippets of poorly translated lines of Scripture that miraculously support their own human agenda. I suppose in some ways all of this is fine, we see things differently, you believe what you want to believe I will believe what I want to believe.

        But this passage is telling me something more, there should be a constant to our beliefs, a common denominator if you will and that is the action required of a Christian. It isn't enough to say I am a Christian. It isn't enough to say 'I went to Catholic school for umteen years'. It isn't even enough to say I go to church services every Sunday.  We may find ourselves knocking at the pearly gates only to find no one will answer or say 'and who are you?

        The focus of our lives is to be of course, all that God created us to be. Gifts, talents and such, personal and otherwise. But the true goal is how we act to build up the kingdom of God. How do we act out our faith? What have we done today, at this moment to say thank you, to glorify God, to live a vibrant faith devoid of proclamations and attestations.

       There was the Madison avenue line "Have you driven a Ford lately?".  I would simply ask , "what have you done lately?" to exercise and exhibit your faith?

Luke 13:18-30

 He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’

 And again he said, ‘To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’

 Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, “Lord, open to us”, then in reply he will say to you, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will begin to say, “We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.”But he will say, “I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!” There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.’