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From: Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Doing the Will of God


(Jesus said to His disciples,) [21] “Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who
is in Heaven.

Building on Rock


[24] “Every one then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like
a wise man who built his house upon the rock; [25] and the rain fell, and the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it
had been founded on the rock. [26] And every one who hears these words of Mine
and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;
[27] and the rain fell, and the floods came, and winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

21-23. To be genuine, prayer must be accompanied by a persevering effort to do
God’s will. Similarly, in order to do His will it is not enough to speak about the
things of God: there must be consistency between what one preaches — what
one says — and what one does: “The Kingdom of God does not consist in talk
but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20); “Be doers of the word, not hearers only, de-
ceiving yourselves” (James 1:22).

Christians, “holding loyally to the Gospel, enriched by its resources, and joining
forces with all who love and practise justice, have shouldered a weighty task on
earth and they must render an account of it to Him who will judge all men on the
last day. Not every one who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven,
but those who do the will of the Father, and who manfully put their hands to the
work” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 93).

To enter the Kingdom of Heaven, to be holy, it is not enough, then, to speak elo-
quently about holiness. One has to practise what one preaches, to produce fruit
which accords with one’s words. Fray Luis de Leon puts it very graphically: “No-
tice that to be a good Christian it is not enough just to pray and fast and hear
Mass; God must find you faithful, like another Job or Abraham, in times of tribu-
lation” (”Guide for Sinners”, Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 21).

Even if a person exercises an ecclesiastical ministry that does not assure his ho-
liness; he needs to practice the virtues he preaches. Besides, we know from ex-
perience that any Christian (clerical, religious or lay) who does not strive to act in
accordance with the demands of the faith he professes, begins to weaken in his
faith and eventually parts company also with the teaching of the Church. Anyone
who does not live in accordance with what he says, ends up saying things which
are contrary to faith.

The authority with which Jesus speaks in these verses reveals Him as sovereign
Judge of the living and the dead. No Old Testament prophet ever spoke with this
authority.

22. “That day”: a technical formula in biblical language meaning the day of the
Judgment of the Lord or the Last Judgment.

23. This passage refers to the Judgment where Jesus will be the Judge. The sa-
cred text uses a verb which means the public proclamation of a truth. Since in
this case Jesus Christ is the Judge who makes the declaration, it takes the form
of a judicial sentence.

24-27. These verses constitute the positive side of the previous passage. A per-
son who tries to put Christ’s teaching into practice, even if he experiences per-
sonal difficulties or lives during times of upheaval in the life of the Church or is
surrounded by error, will stay firm in the faith, like the wise man who builds his
house on rock.

Also, if we are to stay strong in times of difficulty, we need, when things are
calm and peaceful, to accept little contradictions with a good grace, to be very
refined in our relationship with God and with others, and to perform the duties of
our state in life in a spirit of loyalty and abnegation. By acting in this way we are
laying down a good foundation, maintaining the edifice of our spiritual life and re-
pairing any cracks which make their appearance.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.


5 posted on 12/06/2017 9:29:12 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.


First reading Isaiah 26:1-6 ©
That day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
to guard us he has set
wall and rampart about us.
Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in,
she, the faithful one
whose mind is steadfast, who keeps the peace,
because she trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord for ever,
for the Lord is the everlasting Rock;
he has brought low those who lived high up
in the steep citadel;
he brings it down, brings it down to the ground,
flings it down in the dust:
the feet of the lowly, the footsteps of the poor
trample on it.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 117(118):1,8-9,19-21,25-27 ©
Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
  for his love has no end.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
  than to trust in men;
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
  than to trust in princes.
Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
Open to me the gates of holiness:
  I will enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord’s own gate
  where the just may enter.
I will thank you for you have answered
  and you are my saviour.
Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.
O Lord, grant us salvation;
  O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
  is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
  the Lord God is our light.
Blessed in the name of the Lord is he who comes.
or
Alleluia.

Gospel Acclamation Is40:9-10
Alleluia, alleluia!
Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem.
Here is the Lord God coming with power.
Alleluia!
Or Is55:6
Alleluia, alleluia!
Seek the Lord while he is still to be found,
call to him while he is still near.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 7:21,24-27 ©
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

6 posted on 12/06/2017 9:34:45 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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