Mt 7:21–29
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not speak in your name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many miracles in your name?’ Then I will tell them openly, ‘I have never known you; away from me, you evil people!’
“Therefore, anyone who hears these words of mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house, but it did not collapse because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”
When Jesus had finished this discourse, the crowds were struck by the way he taught, because he taught with authority, unlike their teachers of the Law.
REFLECTION
Palestine is a land of hills and: mountains. It is subject to sudden and violent storms. The Jordan River, the principal stream, is annually swollen to a great extent, and subjected to rapid and furious inundations. The streams, which run among the hills, are dry during some months of the year, and suddenly would swell with the rain, and impetuously pour down into the plains below. Everything in the way of these torrents is swept away. Even houses within these inundations, and especially those founded on sand, would not stand. The bursting streams shake their foundation and the houses are carried away. Surely, no comparison could have been more striking and appealing to a Jew.
Tempests and storms of affliction beat around our life. Suddenly, when we think we are in safety and in comfort, the heavens may be overcast; the storm may come down and calamity strikes upon us. In an instance, health, friends, security and cherished possessions are gone. How wonderful it is to possess something that the storm can’t take away! Such is love and dedication to Christ, listening to his words, faith in him, confidence in his forgiveness and a hope of heaven through holy life.
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