“I love you.” I am confident that my mom has spoken those words to me maybe five times in my life. Yet, I have never questioned the fact that my mom loves me with all that she is and all that she has. Her daily actions throughout my life have proven this to me time and time again, despite her lack of saying it. As parents we act out our love for our kids by kissing them, feeding them, comforting them, showing up for them, and trying to do what’s best for them. While telling them we love them is important, the words mean nothing if they are not supported by our daily actions.

St James reminds us that this is also true with our faith.  Faith and love are not merely feelings but require action. When you love someone, it’s obvious by how you treat them and prioritize them. When you have faith, it is obvious by how you live, the choices you make and what you prioritize. Love, like faith, without action is dead, it is meaningless.  In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus makes that very clear. He didn’t just tell the people that he loved them, he told them how he was going to demonstrate that love to them. He would be making the ultimate act of love: giving up his life for us. There’s no questioning Jesus’ love for us, his actions showed it. Love requires sacrifice. Willing the best for the other is not always easy and yet that’s what love is.

We, like the Apostles, can profess that we know who Jesus is. We can profess our love for him and our trust in him. All that is meaningless unless it is supported by our actions. I invite all of us to reflect this week upon this question: How am I showing God and the world that I believe in and love Jesus by my actions?