Sunday, 7 September 2025

Good works

 

"My brothers and sisters, what good is it for people to say that they have faith if their actions do not prove it? Can that faith save them? Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!” — if you don't give them the necessities of life? So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead." James 2:14-17.  

Let's get one common misconception cleared. Doing good works will NOT get you into Heaven.

God does not demand good works and good deeds in order to get into Heaven. He does not demand that we give more in the collection plate on Sundays, or continuous repetitive prayers like the Rosary, or lighting candles beside statues and laying flowers. He is not diminished in any sense if we do not do these things. He is not found wanting or weakened if we withhold these good deeds. 

But we should do them all the same. We do good deeds to honour God, to show Him respect and love, and because He commanded us to love one another.

We don't do good deeds as a down-payment to entering Heaven. God cannot be bought.

We don't do good deeds in exchange for favours and answers to our prayers. God does not bargain with us.

We do good deeds because He asked us to.

When Jesus walked this earth He performed many miracles. Every miracles He performed was for the benefit of someone else. It was not to show off His power, omnipotence or superiority. It was so that God, His Father and ours, is glorified. 

And God raised Him from the dead so that Jesus is glorified and to prove He is the Son of God.

That's what the miracles were about.

Let our good deeds be our own, small, miracles to one another. Just as He commanded.

2 comments:

  1. I so agree, Victor, that our good works cannot get us into heaven and that's not why we should do them. We should long to be more like Jesus and be His hands and feet in this hurting world. Blessings, my friend!

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    Replies
    1. Thanx Martha. I feel (believe) that a lot of Catholics believe that a lot of prayers, candles and flowers will by themselves get them into Heaven. "If you do this for me God, I'll do this in return!"

      God does not make bargains with us - apart from John 3:16. We should do good works because He commanded us to love one another - like Jesus did/does.

      God bless you, Martha.

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