Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Lectio (Reading)

Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.

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.”

Meditatio (Reflecting)

Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.

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.

Oratio (Responding)

Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.

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 all will find ourselves in many different storms over the years of our lives, 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? Pretending to do God’s will, 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. Actually doing so 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 to everyone, but doing it all with love and charity.

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 herd, 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 God’s will for you, and you will find the perfect peace that He wills for your life. 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.

Contemplatio (Contemplating)

Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.

Resolutio (Resolving)

Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.

Oh lord help me today to put you first, to order all of my life to your will, so that I can rest assured in your protection and security. And in the ways that I struggle to do this please give me the wisdom and understanding for how to change. Amen.