Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
The words of Jesus resonate with authority; yet what is a call to responsibility can be simultaneously a reassurance as well. In the Gospel today Jesus is clear that his message makes demands on our lives. After having finished the great Sermon on the Mount, in which (among other things) Jesus proclaims that we must put aside anger against others and be reconciled to them, that we are called to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, and that we must pray and perform good works sincerely without any hypocritical duplicity, Jesus says that we must act on these words of his. We must live in a manner worthy of the name that we bear as Christians—that is, we must be followers of Christ with our entire lives.
But, just as the Gospel today places upon us the responsibility of living Jesus’ challenging but life-giving words, so it also can reassure us about God’s true expectations. In a clear expression, Jesus says that only the one who does the will of the Father in heaven will enter the Kingdom of heaven. Even those who prophesy, cast out demons, or perform mighty deeds in the Lord’s name can potentially find themselves sent away. In other words, Jesus reassures us that our task and calling is to do God’s will, and nothing more and nothing less is required. Although the gifts of prophesy, exorcisms, and miraculous deeds can be great for building up others and God may invite some people to them, they are not prerequisites for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven, provided that God’s will is always done. And so, in a sense, today Jesus’ words free us up so that we no longer have to build a résumé with miraculous feats done in the Lord’s name. Rather we can direct our attention to what truly matters: Doing the will of the Father.