One of the great religious questions, especially in Christianity, is what do we need to do in order to be saved?

The Protestant Reformation focused on this question. The Christian church taught, from its earliest days, that salvation is a gift from God, nothing that can be earned.

The Roman Catholic-Lutheran dialogue of recent years affirmed this basic Christian belief.

A contrary teaching, called Pelagianism, was condemned by the early church.

What, then, is the role of good works? Are they necessary to be saved?

One thinks of the prophet Jeremiah railing outside the Temple in Jerusalem against the lack of compassion for the needy and oppressed.

He tells us that we cannot be true worshippers unless we live lives of justice, a common theme of the Hebrew prophets.

In Matthew's gospel, Jesus, in a long discourse, speaks of how we will be judged.

The Lord tells us that when we feed the hungry and care for the impoverished, we will be welcomed into his kingdom. Are these contradictory teachings? Is it faith, or good works, or both?

I think of the example of Blessed Damien de Veuster of Kalaupapa, soon to be declared a saint of the church. He saw the Lord in the faces of the broken and had a yearning to lift them up and to restore their human dignity.

When he first arrived at the settlement he was a strong man. He built

churches, shelters and care facilities with his own hands as he cared for those around him.

He wasn't trying to earn points for later use, he was trying to live a life of faith in action, authentic faith.

When we look at our own faith experience, let us look at the way we live our faith in our daily lives; let us put our faith into action.

If we know the Lord in our hearts and speak with him frequently, and if we live lives of honesty, compassion, and become less self-centered as we grow older, we are on the right path.

Rather than worry about the next life, let us live each day in the fullness of God's love and trust in him to take care of the rest.

The more we focus on God and on love for others, the less we focus on ourselves, the happier we will be.

We know that we are

maturing in prayer when we spend less time asking God for things for ourselves and more time asking the Lord, "What will you have me do?"

The less selfish and self-centered we become, the more fulfilled we will be.

The Rev. Jack Ryan is a Catholic priest and pastor of St. John the Baptist in Kalihi. Expressions of Faith is a column that welcomes submissions from pastors, priests, lay workers and other leaders in faith and spirituality. E-mail faith@honoluluadvertiser.com or call 525-8035. Articles submitted to The Advertiser may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.