Sunday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Peggy's Path

“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.

Coincidentally, as we come to the last of a series of gospel readings taken from the Sermon on the Mount, we enter the season of Lent. We have been, in a sense, thoroughly instructed in the way of Jesus since celebrating his birth at Christmas. We’re now ready to do something about what we have heard. Simple hearing is not enough. It is never enough to say “I believe in Jesus” – that is, “Lord, Lord!” – if our actions do not conform to our words.

The Sermon on the Mount should have convinced us of Jesus’ authority. The story concludes with:

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.

He said to them, “You have heard it said…, but I say to you!

He has said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

He has said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

Now comes the test: are you ready to change your life, or have your life changed by the word of Jesus?

There’s a sign in hospital elevator, “You would do anything for your grandchildren! Would you quit smoking?”

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.

Each year we begin the season of Lent with another reading from the Sermon on the Mount: Jesus’ teachings about fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. These are traditional Jewish practices which he imposes on his disciples, with further strictures:

“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them…

Although we do these penances together we do them quietly. Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Go to your room and close the door. Anoint your head and wash your face so that you may not appear to be fasting, praying or giving alms.

These practices are not difficult or unusual. Every religion has traditional dietary restrictions. If the Catholic Church gave up the strict enforcement of these restrictions during the 1960’s, in order to conform to the secular standards of that time, the Muslims are challenging us to take them up again. Religion is once again on the march and Protestant Christians and Roman Catholics are falling behind because we’re afraid to expect too much of new converts, our children or ourselves.

Clearly Jesus will not be satisfied with the “lowest common denominator” – that least challenging dietary restriction on which carnivores and vegetarians, chocoholics and health nuts, alcoholics and teetotalers can agree. It is also difficult to agree on what kinds of prayer to pray together and how to support a worthy charity. Each woman, man and child will have to ponder these decisions between now and Ash Wednesday and seek the Lord’s guidance. Some more cohesive religious institutions and some families with strong parental authority might agree on their common Lenten practices.

Many families put away the television during Lent, even during March Madness. There is no better way to free our brains from the indoctrination of consumerism than that painless practice. 

Entering the season of Lent we should take seriously the warning of Jesus:

... 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.”

Bad things do happen to good people when they ignore God’s authority.