IFTTT Autopost 
On this 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, St. Paul tells us how important it is to be models for others in his Second Letter to the Thessalonians (3: 7-12):
“Brothers and sisters: You know how one must imitate us. For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone. On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you. Not that we do not have the right. Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us. In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food.”
St. Paul’s words are just as relevant today as they were 21 centuries ago. All baptized persons are called to be missionaries, that is, people who tell the good news of Jesus to others. But people are more likely to listen to us when we they see how we act, for actions speak louder than words. In short, we should strive to be “living, walking homilies,” homilies without words.
