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Gospel: Matthew 7: 21-29
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.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
“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.”
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Have you ever tasted a Sour Patch Kid?
It’s a gummy candy covered in sugar. When you first chew it, a Sour Patch Kid tastes incredibly sour like a lemon.
But the more you chew it, the sweeter it becomes.
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That, to me, is an image of the Christian life.
It isn’t always easy to do the Lord’s will. In fact, sometimes Christ’s words can leave a very sour taste in our mouth. “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Turn the other cheek.”
But the more we follow him, the easier – the sweeter – his will becomes.
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What might following the Lord look like concretely?
Telling the truth when it’s difficult… reaching into our pockets when there’s not much left… letting go of a grudge when we’d rather nurse it… forgiving someone who’s hurt us… Handing control of our life over to Him.
This is the path of love.
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“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus says. “Only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
You might say, those who’ve developed a taste for Sour Patch Kids, trusting that the sour always becomes sweet.
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Image credits: (1) Sour Patch Kids, Target (2) iStock (3) Scripture Fix