Reading
Matthew 7:21-27
21 “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 who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Comment
The parable of the foolish man and the wise man concludes the "Sermon on the Mount", which contains the essence of the gospel. Jesus explains how to recognize the true believer. Faith that bears no fruit is unbelief.
But the fruits of faith do not consist in performing supernatural works, miracles and prophecies, which taken by themselves have no value. Not even the praise and pleading - "Lord! Lord!" (v. 21) - count for something without conversion. The true fruit of faith consists in fulfilling God's will, moved by charity.
As the Apostle Paul affirms "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Cor 13:1). When we acknowledge Christ only in words we are not so different from those who mocked him by exclaiming under the cross "Hail! King of the Jews!" (Jn 19:3).
Grace and charity lead men to salvation without performing miracles while performing miracles has never saved anyone without grace and charity. Only those who build on the firm rock that is Christ and not those who trust in themselves can withstand the trials of faith, which will be many in this life: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33).
It is not enough to listen to the words of the gospel, understand them, remember them, repeat them and argue over them. We must be able to "give solidity" to the word, making ourselves builders of Christ's church and entrusting its foundations not to the sand of our human poverty but to the rock of his grace.
Prayer
O Lord, give us the bliss to be among those who hear your word and keep it, to be living stones in your church's building. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
