THURSDAY HOMILY: 1ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B

THURSDAY HOMILY: 1ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B

THEME: OBEDIENCE IS THE ONLY WAY

BY: KARABARI PAUL

‘Jesus said to his disciples, “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.

Heaven will produce the highest surprise because some of the people we think will be there may not be there. In the Gospel of today (Matthew 7:21.24-27), Jesus affirms this shock. Many spiritual jargon will never make us true Christians. It is by actions. It is more important to do the right things than to say the right things. We must do the right things in the right way. There is more than just hearing the truth; it is action. The book of James tells us, “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.”

Even though one verbally affirms his lordship and does remarkable deeds identical to those of Jesus, His disciples and the churches of the first century did, namely, prophesying, exorcising demons and other deeds of power, they will never spend eternity with God if they are not living the life of a disciple as articulated by Jesus. At the great judgment, Jesus will not recognize them as His own. This is quite a statement, since very often it is the performance of charismatic elements that receives all the attention.

This is a powerful passage that gets at the heart of Jesus’ message. To be a follower of Jesus means that behaviors and actions–the manner in which we live out our daily lives–are the artifacts of the inner life of faith. More to the point, mere words, performance of deeds, even miraculous ones done in the name of Jesus, or random deeds of mercy will not affect one’s eternal destiny. Religiosity will not help either. This will no doubt come as a surprise for many. And it raises the question, if these charismatic elements that seem to evince an alignment with Jesus and his movement do not demonstrate that a person is an insider, then what does? What does indeed? The next paragraph offers an answer to this haunting question.

Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with the story of two people and the houses they have chosen to build. The metaphor of the building to describe a life is particularly powerful. One person hears Jesus’ words and acts on them, putting them into practice. The other hears Jesus’ words and doesn’t act on them. Two people, two responses to Jesus’ message. The first person is like a house that has been built on a rock. Its foundation is strong and secure and can withstand any assault. The second is like a house built on the sand. Its foundation is weak and unstable and will eventually be destroyed by the storm. This final story summarizes the entire Sermon on the Mount. The message is clear: discipleship occurs in the everyday practices of Jesus’ followers. Jesus’ words here balance the misunderstanding of Paul in today’s Christian world that can be distorted into a gospel of grace without ethical demand.

Jesus is not suggesting that a new law replace the old; rather, love for and devotion to God must be accompanied by a life that honours God. Or to put it another way, becoming a follower of Jesus is to decide to become a member of his society and is marked by a willingness to live one’s life according to the values and beliefs of that society. One becomes part of the people of God. Jesus’ invitation is an invitation to an encounter with God and a different way of living life. This life will provide not only strength in the present to withstand the various storms that come our way but also the final great storm that sees us through to an eternity with the Lord, to and for whom we have lived a life of devotion. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our world and land, bless and protect us all through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning.

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