Shepherds - Pastors

Homily for Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s Gospel passage is the final passage from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. St. Matthew wrote his Gospel for the Christian Jews of Jerusalem. Within that group, there were apparently some who Jesus accuses of being false prophets.

Jesus says to them: “Many will say to me, ‘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?’” Jesus goes on to say that it is not enough to recognize him as the Lord, “They must also do the will of my Father in heaven.” While they performed many wonders within the community, they were not doing it to draw people into the Kingdom of God. Rather, they were more interested in drawing people to themselves, setting themselves up as someone important. This violates a cardinal rule when it comes to the disciples of Jesus. They failed to recognize that God is the one who acts through them.

Jesus then begins to tell the parable of the man who built a house on a foundation of sand. They do not recognize that God is the foundation. By advancing themselves, they are proving that they are not men of genuine faith in Jesus.

These chapters of the Gospel of St. Matthew come to a conclusion by noting that the people were astonished by Jesus’ preaching. Every day, as we celebrate the Eucharist, we are exposed to the Gospel. We are indeed fortunate to hear God’s word each and every day.