A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (7:21, 24-27)
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.
“Everyone who listens to 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 buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
(The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!)
Reflection: Do we follow the will of God?
In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus tells us that not everyone who calls out to the Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven, except for the one who follows the will of our Heavenly Father.
Does it not sound distressing, that some may call out to the Lord, but will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? Are we like the wise man who chose to build his house on rock, or do we choose to only have our way like the fool who built his home on sand? Are we ignoring the will of God?
We all have made wise and foolish choices in life, and we have a tendency to choose what benefits us, or what works for us. We tend to make decisions that only favor us, but the question is: Are we caught in a trap of denial thinking that we are following the will of God with our choices? Are we actually doing what is only convenient to us? Am I doing the will of God? Will I be showing my love for my neighbor with my decision? Are we doing the will of our Heavenly Father?
Do we seek the will of God?
We are not perfect and we may still make wrong choices in life, and our Lord Jesus will continue to journey with us, ready to be our guide, ready to prompt us through His Spirit within our hearts. Humbly ask for the courage to do God’s will, and to be guided by His Spirit. Pause before making decisions, and pray to God and ask, “Lord, how can I serve you with these choices and do your will? Please guide me with Your wisdom to choose wisely and to show my love for my neighbor, as our Lord Jesus loves everyone. Help me to follow only your will and guide me through your Holy Spirit.”.
May we always seek the wisdom of God for all our choices before we act, to love our neighbors, and seek to do the will of our Heavenly Father who watches over us with eyes compassion and kindness.
Action for the Day:
In humility, pray to our Heavenly Father to guide us always with His wisdom before we make decisions. May we only choose the Father’s will as we serve Him daily.
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