Gospel Mt 7:21-27
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.
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.”
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Best Practices for Biblical Construction Projects
Biblical Reflection for 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time A
By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB
TORONTO, MARCH 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Today's first reading from the book of Deuteronomy (11:18, 26-28) sets the stage for our Scripture texts today, and offers us a wide-angle view of the biblical journey of the past weeks and a lens into Matthew's Gospel. They are very fitting readings as we interrupt ordinary time and prepare to enter into the season of Lent on Wednesday, March 9.
Today we hear Moses addressing the people: "I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse: a blessing for obeying the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today; a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today, to follow other gods, whom you have not known."
God uses his word and his commandments to transmit his very life to us and to lead us into the truth. We often use the very words of the Lord and his commandments to transmit death and hide the truth!
Moses and Jesus
Over the past weeks, we have seen that the Sermon on the Mount is clearly Matthew's greatest composition. More than any other teacher of morality, the Jesus of Matthew's Gospel instructs with divine power and authority, and makes possible a completely new existence. Matthew offers us many parallels between Moses and Jesus. Moses, the architect of ancient Israel, encountered God on Mount Sinai; the New Testament revealer speaks to his disciples on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 5:3-12). For Christians, next to the Ten Commandments, the Eight Beatitudes (5:3-1) are held up as the Magna Carta of Christian living, expressing clearly the core of our life.
We have learned that in the beatitudes proclaimed and lived in Matthew's community, there are some people who are not suffering from poverty and hunger. Matthew assures us that Jesus is also concerned about their lot, as long as their attitudes are attuned to the kingdom. We have also observed that the Matthean Jesus does not abolish the Law, but rather asks for a deeper observance that gets to the reason why its demands were formulated: "to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (5:48). The righteousness of Jesus and his disciples must go beyond that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus speaks with such confidence and credibility and implies that he is more authoritative than Moses and seems to legislate with all the assurance of the God of Mount Sinai.
Whereas Mark emphasizes the necessity of accepting Jesus as the crucified Christ and following him on the stark path of self-denial, Matthew emphasizes manifesting one's single-hearted devotion to the Lord by obeying his ethical instructions. The righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees (5:20) consists not in possessing the teachings of Jesus, but rather in acting upon them.
Full text here.
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