A reading of the holy Gospel according to Matthew 7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples: "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 in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, '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?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.' "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined." When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
REFLECTION: ' I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'​
On October 2001 many people lost all their savings as the Enron scandal unfolded. It not only led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation but it led to millions of people likewise going bankrupt losing their investments and savings. Big giants such as Arthur Andersen, one of the largest audit and accounting firms, dissolved because of this. Some had put all their lifesavings in one stock--Enron. Many anticipated retirements were put on hold.
If the people could have foreseen this threat to their lives and the loss of home and goods, they would have taken the necessary precautions to avoid such a disaster.
What is the significance of Enron to us now in 2019? Enron fooled everyone with their words and with their actions and their falsified reports. It eventually collapsed as it could not withstand adverse conditions. Everyone assumed that their investments were in good hands.
Jesus keeps reminding us that we are to follow his commandments and obey them so that our foundation of faith, love and hope is firm and will not crumble under dire times. Yes, he wants us to be his friends, to spend time with him --he wants a relationship with us, so that when we are at our best or worst, when we are tempted, when we succeed or fail, we have God as our foundation. We might fool those around us but we cannot deceive God. He sees our hearts and knows our intentions and desires. He knows our character. Only God can save us from falsehoods and spiritual disasters. Nothing can keep God from being present and protective of us.
Praying that the priest who is "in the person of Christ" be a good spiritual director and a good friend.
