March 6, 2011: Gospel Reflection I

Matthew 7:21-27 

In the 1990s there was a popular Christian rock band called DC Talk. I remember that their song What if I Stumble begin with a male voice reading this quote:  

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

In today’s Gospel Jesus reminds His followers that it isn’t enough to say the right things, “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one that does the will of my Father in heaven”; actions speak louder than words. We are not called to talk about holiness and Jesus, we are called to be holy in Jesus (we don’t just imitate Him but make Him present through our lives).

But, what if I stumble? What about when I don’t live up to doing God’s will? God’s message is radically consistent; He will always forgive us, nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-38). But when we stumble, when we turn away from God, we can only be forgiven if we re-turn to God who is our Rock. The single greatest cause of atheism is not Christians who stumble, but Christians who don’t bother re-turning. When we stumble we show we are human, when we return to God we express our belief that God is grounding us.

As we look toward entering into the season of Lent this Wednesday, Jesus calls us to return to Him (Hosea 6:1). The parable of the foolish man who built his house on sand reminds us that we place huge importance in many things: wealth, education, popularity, sports, etc. but none of these things can support us when wind and rain buffet the house.

Returning to God means following the wise man who built his house on rock. When the rains and wind came they could not destroy the house. There will always be winds and rain in our lives but if we build and re-build the foundation of our lives on a relationship with God, returning daily to Him, then we will always be grounded in His love.