In Carmel, one is not allowed to strike false coins in order to buy souls.
I would broaden that to say In Christianity. Following the now-much quoted dictum that one may not do evil that good may result, false coinage would strike me as a great betrayal against the commandment that requires us not to "bear false witness against our neighbor." What would such false coinage do to the fabric and integrity of the faith?
Do you think you can satisfy our Lord with one of your nicely composed devotions? No. Words are not enough. In order really to be a victim of love, one must utterly surrender oneself.
Or in the words of that immortal theologian Eliza Doolittle (according to Lerner and Lowe--from the song "Show Me")
Don’t talk of stars
Burning above;
If you’re in love,
Show me!
Tell me no dreams
Filled with desire.
If you’re on fire,
Show me!
Here we are together in the middle of the night!
Don’t talk of spring! Just hold me tight!
Anyone who’s ever been in love’ll tell you that
This is no time for a chat!
I've said before and I'll state more clearly, God speaks even in show tunes. And this is one of the things He sings to us. "Don't talk of love--show me."
Well said! This seems to be a recurring theme that is crossing my path more and more often lately -- our actions speak MUCH more loudly and clearly than do our words. (P.S. Thanks for linking to my blog!)
Dear Mrs. Morrison,
I assure you, it was my pleasure to find it. Thank you for running so fine a blog.
shalom,
Steven