Think Again

Letting actions speak louder than words

Matthew 9:27-31

             As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”  “Yes, Lord,” they said to him.  Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.”  And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”  But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

            Boys and girls, I have a very important question for you this morning, and it’s a very difficult question.  Put on your thinking caps!  Which is more important: how we think or how we behave (how we act)?  Say, for example, your mom has baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies for dessert and you see them sitting on the kitchen table.  Which is worse: thinking about stealing a cookie, or actually gobbling one up?  How many believe thinking about stealing is worse?  How many believe actually stealing a cookie is worse?  Here’s another example: let’s say you thought about drawing a lovely picture for your dad, but never did it.  But your little sister actually drew a lovely picture for your dad.  (Now, you know why she's his favorite.)  Which counts more: good thoughts or good actions?  You see, thinking rightly is important, but acting rightly is even more important.  How we think changes our life, but how we act changes other people’s lives.

            In the gospel today we see the difference between thinking and acting, between faith and love.  Jesus cures two blind men.  But before he cured them, Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can do this?”  What did they answer?  They both said, “Yes, Lord!”  That meant that they were thinking right, they believed.  And their lives were changed because now they could see.  But then Jesus asked them to DO something.  Does anyone remember what that was?  Jesus said, “Shhhh!”  That is, keep this healing a secret.  But what did these two men do?  They blabbed it all over the place.  They acted poorly, without love for Jesus.  You see, these men knew how to think right (they had faith) and so they changed their own lives.  But they didn’t act right (they didn’t have love) and so they changed other people’s lives, including Jesus’ life.  How we think changes us; how we act changes others.

            Mrs. B told me a few days ago that she asked her Lighthouse Leadership Team, “What is the definition of a leader?”  Does anyone know the answer?  A leader is someone who DOES the right thing even when no one is watching.  A leaders is not someone who just THINKS the right things when no one is watching.  A leader knows that how he or she thinks only changes him or her, but how a leader behaves changes others, even when he or she is alone.

            Boys and girls, here at Immaculate Conception School we want to teach you to think right, but also how to act right.  Right thinking will get you straight A’s, but right acting will get you to heaven.  Which one do you think is more important?

            Praised be Jesus Christ!