Taking the Time to Make a Difference

Some times words are not the most effective answers. I remember riding in a friend’s “muscle car,” back in my high school days. We were on a two-lane highway in southern Illinois. He was very proud of that car, and was telling me about the various options and added goodies, including the over-sized wheels, the big engine, and the three carburetors. So I asked him why it was good to have three carburetors. He didn’t say anything. What he did was take a quick glance at the lack of traffic in the oncoming lane, then he pulled over to pass, stomped his foot to the floor, and in three or four seconds we passed four cars in our lane and swung back to our side of the road. He didn’t tell me why. He showed me.

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One of my favorite musicians is Keb’ Mo’ — an American blues singer, acoustic guitarist and songwriter. One of his songs in the mid-1990s was entitled, “The Action.” The song is addressed to a woman he wants to impress. “Remember when we first met. I was so excited just to get to know you.” He continues: “I felt a little funny. But it was really no joke. I wanted to prove my love in every word that I spoke. “But the action speaks louder, you know the action speaks louder than the word.” The song does not take the listener any deeper into the relationship – if there was one. We don’t know if “the action” contradicted the spoken word, or if the singer came to realize that just saying the words of love would never be enough. What is true, no matter what the outcome, is that the action speaks louder than the word.

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The notion that “actions speak louder than words” is so common that we might not even think to use it in regard to our faith journey. The Zenit news agency in Rome recently reported on a blessing ceremony at St. Peter’s Square. Pope Benedict XVI blessed images of the Child Jesus brought to the plaza by children Dec. 14. After the blessing, the statues were to be returned to their manger scenes. According to the news report, the pope then encouraged all of the faithful to put a Nativity scene in their homes. He said a prayer over the statues the children had brought. “We pray to you, that with your blessing these images of Jesus, who is about to come among us, be, in our houses, a sign of your presence and your love.” He added, “Open our heart, so that we know how to receive Jesus with joy, do always what he asks and see him in all those who need our love."

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What the pope did was encourage us to realize that our action speaks louder than our word, as we bear witness to our faith within our own home. Putting up a Nativity scene is just part of the action, we should realize. It is not just that the statue or the display can be a sign that Jesus is present. It is an invitation to “open our heart” so that we can see Jesus “in all who need our love.”

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The ultimate action of the Word of God was our redemption. We begin to understand that truth when we acknowledge as best we can what it means to say that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. What will tell people that our homes are where Christians live? What is it that demonstrates our beliefs to our children? Or to our neighbors? At Christmas and in the year ahead, it may be helpful to examine our words and our actions. Who are the people we want to impress? What is it we are trying to say to them? What actions do we take that have a lasting effect on those around us? It may be helpful to reflect on the words of Pope Benedict, who prayed that we would always do what Jesus asks and that we would see Jesus “in all those who need our love.” Who are the people who need your love? Seeing Jesus in them will make a difference.

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