Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Today's Mass Readings
In today’s gospel passage from Matthew, we find the closing words of what is known as the Sermon on the Mount. In fact, tomorrow’s passage begins with Jesus coming down from the mountain. As we consider this passage today, we must ask ourselves what kind of a conclusion is today’s passage. How did it direct the disciples of that time, and where does it point us today? Perhaps the first aspect that we notice is that the passage returns to the eschatological concern reflected throughout the Sermon on the Mount. This is indicated by Jesus’ mention of the Kingdom of Heaven (Mt. 7:21). The beatitudes that began this sermon also reflected this when speaking of the poor in spirit and those who are persecuted for righteousness: “for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 5:3, 10). By returning to the topic of the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus emphasizes its importance. Of course, in the end, everyone will want to be in the Kingdom of Heaven, but a one-time petition of “Lord, Lord” is not enough, nor is entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven dependent on dramatic deeds, such as driving out demons (Mt. 7:22-23).
Entering the Kingdom of heaven, and, indeed, being a disciple of Jesus, require a consistency in behavior based on putting Jesus’ words into action. This is the second aspect of the passage that stands out. Those who attempt to live Jesus’ words in their lives are compared to a wise man who built his house on rock, whereas those who hear but don’t act on his words are like a foolish man who built his house on sand (Mt. 7:25-26). As a conclusion to the entire Sermon on the Mount, the disciples that heard it then, and we who hear it today, are urged to hear Jesus’ words anew and change our lives because of them. It is then that we are like the wise man.
To this observation, we can add one other point. It might be easy to interpret this passage individualistically, as in, we each individually build our own houses – maybe mine is on sand, and yours is on rock, etc. If this were the case, one’s ability to follow Jesus seems focused on individual will power. This, however, is not the traditional interpretation of the church. In fact, Jesus makes another reference to building on “rock” in the gospel of Matthew. In Mt. 16:18, he renames Simon as Peter, “You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church.” The name Peter itself means “rock.” Undoubtedly, Jesus is a wise builder, one who builds upon rock. But what he builds is not a single house for one person, but rather, Jesus builds a church. Acting on the words of Jesus, therefore, is not an individualistic thing, a matter of personal willpower, bur rather, it is something that the entire church—all of Jesus’ disciples—do together. We are meant to challenge and support each other along the journey to the Kingdom of Heaven.
As we continue to strive to live the words of the Sermon on the Mount today and always, let us pray that we may be more aware that we need the entire church to help us live more authentically human lives. Today, reflect on those—the living and the dead—that have been instrumental in modeling the Christian faith for you. Let us pray that, with the guidance of these and others, we may also someday enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Maria Morrow