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You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
John 15:16
Many people think being a good Catholic is to do good to others. This is partly true. We live in a time where believers pick and choose what they want to believe. They think they can be saved just by doing good, as if our salvation is a matter of credit and debit. Do more good than evil and you will go to heaven. It is no wonder we see a lot of people who support abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriages and still consider themselves as Catholics. They think that it does not really matter what you think, do or say because as long as you do good - you are still a Catholic.
This way of thinking is way contrary to what Jesus said. We are chosen to go and bear fruit. Fruit in abundance and fruit that will last. This is possible not because of our own strength. This is possible because Jesus himself choose us to do so. We are called first, to remain in Jesus and then we are to go and bear fruit. Our good works are the result of our response to the grace given by Jesus. Somewhere in scripture the Lord said, "Your good works are as dirty rags". Our good works alone will not save us. St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:3, "If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, 1 but do not have love, I receive no benefit." Our good works mean nothing if these are not accompanied with love. This love begins with our love for God. Ask people what they remember about Mother Teresa. I have not done a survey, but I would think the most common response will be, "she served the poor". Undeniably, Blessed Mother Teresa served the poor. Her deeds were heroic. But if we just remember her for this, we are missing a lot. I was reading her letters a few months ago and I was surprised to know how much she suffered. She lived without experiencing the presence of God for 50 years! But this was not enough for her. She was so in love with Jesus that she wanted to make Jesus known to those who do not know him. This desire to make Jesus known to others drove her to serve the poor. Our good works should be grounded in Jesus. It should be grounded in our love for Jesus. If we think that we can be saved just because we do good works then we are badly mistaken. Jesus calls us to go and bear fruit that will last - in abundance. This is possible only by living our lives in Jesus. To serve others in love, we must know Jesus. This comes to our relationship with him through prayer. By prayer, I mean personal time before the Lord waiting for him. Without prayer, we may bear fruit, but this fruit will not last. Prayer is the key to serving others. When we are in prayer, we become one with God. Our wills submit to his and in doing so, we will ask what he wants. When that happens, we can ask anything and he will give it to us. Lord, teach me to love you. Teach me to trust you. Teach me to live my life for you. May you be glorified in my life.
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