“Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves…” – Philippians 2:3
“All that glitters is not gold,” wrote William Shakespeare, “gilded tombs do worms enfold…” Even a good-looking apple can be rotten at its core. On the other hand, something very excellent, such as a pearl, may be hidden behind an unassuming exterior. As the great Catholic author, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “All that is gold does not glitter… deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
Jesus teaches us the same lesson in the gospel parable for this Sunday: substance matters more than appearance and actions matter more than words. The son who did the father’s will was the one who actually went to work in the vineyard, not the one who only said he would.
The primacy of substance over style is a hallmark of our Lord’s teaching. Even the Holy Eucharist is a wonderful testament to this. Although its appearance remains that of bread, when the priest consecrates the host, its substance changes into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. It is the epitome of “actions speaking louder than words,” because through this action, the Word Himself becomes flesh.
The beauty of this hidden treasure moved St. Francis of Assisi so powerfully that he once wrote the following in a letter to his fellow friars:
“Let the entire man be seized with fear; let the whole world tremble; let heaven exult when Christ, the Son of the Living God, is on the altar in the hands of the priest. O admirable height and stupendous condescension! O humble sublimity! O sublime humility! that the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under a morsel of bread.”
St. Francis knew that it was the substance of God, not the appearance of bread that mattered. This knowledge prompted him to sell all his possessions and take on the garb of a beggar, because he knew that a pure heart was more important to God than the finest purple clothing. He rooted himself in the Eucharist, and it turned him into a radical witness of God’s love.
You see, Jesus is always challenging us to be radical in the truest sense; that is, “rooted.” (Just consider that both radical and radish come from the same word.) He wants to write his law upon our hearts and transform us from the inside out. He wants us to preach the good news of God’s love and then practice what we preach. He wants us to love one another, because He loves us.
Lord God, you humbled yourself that we might be saved. We adore you, truly present in the Eucharist, and reserved in every tabernacle throughout the world. We root ourselves in You. Transform us from the inside out, that we may become tabernacles of your presence. Give us the strength to imitate your humility and love one another more deeply. Amen.
