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God calls us to be a people of words and deeds. He gave us the Bible and the preaching of the apostles to guide our lives. Now He asks that we become a Church that not only hears the words but are does of the words. It is important to remember as Catholics that it is not enough to simply say "I believe", and then do nothing. The Bible says, "Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but rather he who does the will of my Father" (Matthew 7:21) Therefore, it must be assumed that works are indeed a necessary component of one's faith. Too many people think that faith means giving God lip service only ("This generation honors me with their lips, while their heart is far from me", Matthew 15:18), rather than actually doing good deeds for others. A good place to start if you are looking for good deeds are the Beatitudes. The Gospel of Matthew (5:3-10) tells us "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Just as important is avoiding the sin of omission. Taking a closer look at the beatitudes can help there as well. When you see someone who is hungry or thirsty and ignore the situation, that is a sin of omission. Justifying the slight by thinking that the person should get a job or that they may use the money you give them for something illegal is not an excuse either. We are not here to judge but to model what Jesus did while on earth. And just to make sure we didn't forget, He preached the beatitudes and instructed His apostles to preach it as well. Thankfully some of them even wrote it down. So let's start earning some blessings by being the hands and feet of Jesus on earth.

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