Not long ago there were as many ads on television against smoking as there were commercials pushing different brands of cigarettes. One episode showed a father walking down a country road with his young son. Everything the father did the little boy imitated: throwing a rock, admiring a bird, and stretching in the marvelous sunshine. Then the father sat by a tree and his son did the same. The punch of the ad came as the father took a cigarette, lay the pack on the ground, and the little boy slowly reached for the pack.

What we do, the way we live, the example we set, all influence others, adults as well as children. We would probably be amazed if we were to know how much we do affect others. Jesus says in today's Gospel, "Whoever breaks the least significant of these commands and teaches others to do so, shall be called least in the kingdom of God." What a terrible thing it would be deliberately to teach evil to others. We hope and pray that we will never become so perverse. But we teach others not only by our words but also by our example. As a matter of fact, we recognise, at least in theory, that "actions speak louder than words." Someone put it another way when he said, "What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say."

Our lives do have an influence on others, for good or ill. If our example "fulfills and teaches God's commands we shall be great in the kingdom of God."