Jesus said to his disciples:
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
listens to my words, and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house,
who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;
when the flood came, the river burst against that house
but could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who listens and does not act
is like a person who built a house on the ground
without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.”
Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?
Jesus says that if we do the will of the Father, then we will enter the kingdom of heaven. And if we do, it will be as if we have built our lives on the foundation of rock and it will not be damaged by the storms and trials of this world. This does not mean that the storms will not come, we will all find ourselves in many different storms in our life, no one can escape that, but when our lives are built on the foundation of God, then these storms will not destroy us.
So what does it mean to say you are doing God’s will versus actually doing so? The former is going to church on Sunday, singing loudly, and appearing to be holy, but then honking and curseing at people in the parking lot after mass. The later is much harder. It means taking Jesus’ teachings to heart, and incorporating them into every part of your day. It means loving those that persecute you, turning the other cheek, sacrificing, and being of service, but doing it all with love and charity…, if not for them then at the least for God.
When you change your life to live in God’s divine will…, then when the person cuts you off in traffic, or singles you out because of your beliefs, or persecutes you because you will not go with the flow, you will be standing on the firm foundation of the truth and goodness of God. You will know that you are doing what is right, and God will give you the words and courage you need to persevere, and the evil one will not be able to sway you. The evil one will not give up though, and he may even throw more and worse trials at you, but because of your faith and trust, you will not be moved.
Augustine said that “peace is the tranquility that comes from order.” This is the secret to life. Strive to order your life with Gods will for you, and you will find perfect peace. I wish this for everyone, I wish that we can all rest assured in our salvation, so that one day we can revel in the glory of the presence of God forever in heaven.
Oh Lord, today give me the knowledge and Wisdom I will need to see my faults, and my weaknesses, and to grow stronger in my faith and my relationship with you. Amen.
