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. 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
deeds of power in your name?´ Then I will declare to them, ´I never knew you;
go away from me, you evildoers.´ Everyone then who hears 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 beat on that house, but it did
not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these
words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his
house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat
against that house, and it fell -- and great was its fall!" Now when Jesus
had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew
7:21-29)
Introductory Prayer:
Lord, before I can produce anything lasting in my life, I need to be united to
you in prayer. Aware of my weakness and inclination to sin, I trust all the
more in your forgiveness and mercy. I believe in your presence in the
Eucharist. It gives me the assurances that you really are with your Church
until the end of time.
Petition: Lord, help me to improve one point of my life that has been
neglected.
1. Lord, Lord: "Faith
without works is useless" (James 2:20). Witnessing to our faith through
our works is crucial. It´s not enough to go to Mass on Sunday, to have the
Bible on the shelf, to hang a rosary on the rearview mirror. Faith in Christ
means daily conversion, changing our lives in conformity to his will. "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).
Doing the will of the Father means works of charity, of patience, of
disinterested service. Real expressions of our faith demand that we give of
ourselves. Real faith doesn´t leave us feeling smug. Do I ever feel
self-righteous because "I´m with the Pope"? Because I "never got
caught" doing something wrong? Does my faith in Christ leave me
complacent? Or does it drive me to works of charity?
2. Rock Solid: Listening
to and following Christ means living as we should. There is a truth about our
being human that demands a response.
To know, love and serve God in this world, and to be happy with
him forever in the next, sums up the purpose of our lives (see Catechism, No.
1). When we sin, we break not only with Christ but with ourselves. We feel
divided interiorly by our passions, our anger, our vanity, our greed. Christ
invites us to "come home," to be what we were meant to be. That is
the surest foundation we can have when a crisis strikes. Where am I
"building on sand"? Is my prayer life weak? Am I stingy with my
possessions? Hardhearted toward a family member?
3. Façade: We can surmise
that the house built on sand looked sturdy -- that is why no one thought to
test its strength before the big storm arrived. Our lives can be the same way.
In a time of calm everything seems OK. No cares, no fears. Everything looks good
on the outside, like those old Hollywood movie sets: all façade, but no depth.
Beneath the surface, however, there might lie decay, chronic problems, issues
that aren´t resolved, emptiness -- all because Christ isn´t the center of our
lives. Are there areas of my life where I´m living superficially? Am I just
putting up appearances for the neighbors? My parents? My spouse? My sweetheart?
My pastor? What problems do I need to weed out of my life?
Conversation with Christ: Lord,
you love me too much to stand by and let me live my life on the surface. You
know it is difficult for me to give up my mask, because it is never easy for me
to face my weaknesses. Give me the strength to confront what I need to change
in my life.
Resolution: I will note one area where I´m not living up to the public
image I present. Then I will offer up a decade of the rosary to overcome that
vice or weakness.
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