From: Matthew 7:21-29
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. [22] On that day many will say to
Me, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons
in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?' [23] And then I
will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you
evildoers.'
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."
[28] And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished
at His teaching, [29] for He taught them as one who had authority, and
not as their scribes.
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 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, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James
1:22).
Christians, "holding loyally to the Gospel, enriched by its resources,
and joining forces with all who love and practice 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 eloquently about holiness. One has to practice what one
preaches, to produce fruit which accords with one's words. Fray Luis
de Leon puts it very graphically: "Notice 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 tribulation" ("Guide
for Sinners", Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 21).
Even if a person exercises an ecclesiastical ministry that does not
assure his holiness; he needs to practice the virtues he preaches.
Besides, we know from experience 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 His 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 sacred 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 person who tries to put Christ's teaching into practice,
even if he experiences personal 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
repairing any cracks which make their appearance.
28-29. Jesus' listeners could clearly see the radical difference
between the style of teaching of the scribes and Pharisees, and the
conviction and confidence with which Jesus spoke. There is nothing
tentative about His words; they leave no room for doubt.
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.