Do As I Say...

Statue of St. Louis in the
Cathedral of St. Louis, Missouri

Readings for Wednesday, August 25/Feast of St. Louis, King of France:

2 Thessalonians 3:6-10, 16-18

Psalm 128: 1,2,4,5

Matthew 23:27-32

Do as I say, not as I do.

It’s funny how sometimes phrases we use can contain such depth if we really contemplate them. To say “Do as I say, not as I do” is to recognize that what we profess is not what we live. It speaks to the fact that it is easy to know what it is good and true, but it is a whole different thing to live it and seek after it.

As we celebrate the feast of Saint Louis, King of France, we recall the fact that he not only knew what was true and good, but sought to live his life based on it. Rather than simply telling others what to do, he showed them in his own actions. A zealous man, Louis took seriously the charge to preserve the faith in France and fought against various heresies that arose in his time. Too, he lived as a true servant leader, personally serving the poor and the sick, and always seeking the good of his people rather than his own glory and power.

He truly lived the faith in his daily life so that he, like Saint Paul, might be able to say “we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us.” Let us then, be imitators of him and Saint Paul, not simply knowing the truth but living it daily so that others might imitate us in turn.