7th Sunday after Pentecost 19.7.20 Judgment
Those who say ‘Lord Lord’ are not necessarily saved (Gospel)
We must be doers of the word and not just speaking it (Jm
1,22)
In the end we will be judged on our actions, as in the
parable of the sheep and the goats (Mt 25, 31-46). Whatever you did for the
least of my brethren you did for Me.
It is the doing that counts.
We still should say the right things because that will help
us to focus on what we ought to be doing. Also our words can be useful as
instruction or encouragement.
Having said that actions are more important, they are not
enough by themselves.
1) We must act from the right motives. Even if I give my
body to be burnt, but have not love, it profits me nothing (1 Co 13,3).
The motive for our good actions is very important because
there we find our true stance towards Almighty God.
If I am doing good only for my own self-interest – seeking
to impress others, for instance – that will not bring me closer to God.
But if I am seeking to please Him for His sake, that is
loving God as we are commanded.
Many today would bypass God and just try to help other
people, missing the main point of the whole operation.
We are created to know love and serve God. This is our main
reason for existing. It is not a side issue
It still comes down to what we do, but we see that our words
are important, and our motives more important still.
We can get all of it right with continual application.
Most people would see readily the importance of good
actions.
Many, indeed, will justify their wrong behaviour by pointing
to the good that they do.
‘I don’t go to Mass but I do help out at the soup kitchen’ –
for instance.
2) We cannot trade obligations like this. We have to seek
complete unity of all our obligations, so that we are thinking, saying, and
doing the right things. And all of this for the glory of God – motivated by Him
and leading back to Him..
We cannot rely only on one of these things alone. Words
without actions can be just hot air; good intentions the same.
3) Actions can be misdirected, for example, helping someone
to organise suicide through euthanasia.
We have all these threads in our hands, and need wisdom to get
the right balance.
We constantly need to re-organise our thoughts, words, and
actions; straighten out anything that is off-balance.
We cannot do this all at once, as it involves so many habits
and patterns of behaviour. We can at least head in the right direction, which
is what we are doing whenever we make an act of repentance.
Peace of mind comes as we sense that we are converging on
the right conditions for salvation.
God will help each disciple to get all this right, with
constant forgiveness and encouragement, with wisdom to keep it all in balance.
Like any activity it can become less of an effort; we
automatically do the right things. overcoming obstacles like unforgiveness,
sloth, apathy, bad example from others.
Our motives are purified, our thoughts and words also; our
actions will be the right ones and for the right reasons.
So each disciple and the whole Church are meant to operate.
This is how we are saved.
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