Summary;
Michael reflects on the importance of living a life true to one’s calling, emphasizing that true Christianity is demonstrated through actions, not just words. He highlights that living the gospel and embodying its teachings will attract others to the faith.
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(Intro) Today’s Office and this Eucharist are for those being called to the priestly and religious way of life. The greatest incentive to religious vocations & to the Christian life depends on the quality of our lives so let us reflect a moment on how we may fail to be true to our calling.
(After the gospel) The collapse of Jerusalem as portrayed in our first reading was because of how the king and the people lived lives that were evil I the sight of the Lord. The leaders, craftsmen, smiths and officers were all deported to Babylon. Those left behind in the land were only the poor.
Jesus speaks to us in the gospel along the same lines, warning us that it is not enough prophesy in the Lord’s name or to drive out demons or do mighty deeds in his name. We must be willing to hear the Lord’s words and act on them in our daily lives.
It is when we live the good news of the gospel, when we let the wisdom of the sermon on the mount take hold of the whole of our lives that we become truly Christian. It is then that we do the will of our Father in heaven and build our lives on solid rock. It is in our living of the gospel that will attract many to become religious, priests or to simply be faithful Christians in our world of today.
2 Kgs 24:8-17; Matt 7:21-29