Gospel: Matthew
7:21-29
Jesus
said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter
the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in
heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in
your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds
in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart
from me, you evildoers.’
“Everyone
who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who
built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and
buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And
everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be
like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and
the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely
ruined.”
When
Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he
taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
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Reflection:
"I
like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike
your Christ." - Mahatma Gandhi.
It was
said that Gandhi was being encouraged to embrace the Christian faith when he
said this famous quotation. He admired Christ deeply but he did not admire what
he saw on the followers of Jesus, that includes us.
Maybe,
Gandhi saw these Christians who only pay lip service to their faith, who are
only active on worship but deficient in living their faith.
James
2:17 says: “faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
In the
gospel Jesus told his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my
Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21).”
Some of
us are so active in our church worship we are always there every Sunday for
Holy Mass, some are there daily to worship God. But the irony of it all is many
of us choose to leave in the church what we hear and learn from it. We don’t
breathe it, we don’t practice it.
The will
of God is for us to practice and live our relationship with Him through our
fellowmen specially those who are in need. What is the use of our worship for
Jesus if we don’t live it? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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