Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
Doing The Father’s Will
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. The last kings of Judah did not seek God’s kingdom and lost their earthly kingdom.
Gospel. “Not those who say, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom, but one who does the will of my Father.” We are familiar with Jesus’ words, but do we follow them? Do we build on rock, that is, follow Jesus, or do we follow ourselves and our whims and so build on sand?
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Your Son Jesus Christ, challenges us
to honour you not only with our lips
but also in our hearts and with our deeds.
Help us to respond to his word
with all that is in us
and with him to seek your will
in all we do.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
First Reading
Jeconiah of Judah (598-597)
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he succeeded his father and reigned or three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
Jehoiachin mistreated the Lord, as his father had done.
At that time, the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to attack Jerusalem, surrounding the city.
Nebuchadnezzar came while his men were besieging the city.
Jehoiachin, king of Judah, surrendered with his mother, servants, leaders, and palace officials. It was the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.
Nebuchadnezzar carried off into exile all the leaders and prominent men, the blacksmiths and locksmiths, all the men of valor fit for war. A total of ten thousand were exiled to Babylon. Only the poorest sector of the population was left.
Nebuchadnezzar also carried Jehoiachin away with his mother, his wives, the palace ministers, and the prominent men of the land.
So the king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the prominent people, numbering seven thousand, the blacksmiths, numbering a thousand, and all the men fit for war.
He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king of Jerusalem in place of Jehoiachin and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (9) For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the corpses of your servants
as food to the birds of heaven,
the flesh of your faithful ones to the beasts of the earth.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
They have poured out their blood like water
round about Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
O LORD, how long? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
It Is Not Enough to Say: “Lord, Lord!”
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 speak in your name? Did we not cast out devils and perform many miracles in your name?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I have never known you; away from me, you evil people!’
Rock and Sand
Therefore, anyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock.
But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them is like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain poured, rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!”
When Jesus finished this teaching, the crowds were amazed
because he taught with authority, unlike their teachers of the law.
Prayers of the Faithful
– That we may not just hear and know the word of God but act accordingly and enthusiastically, we pray:
– That the Lord may be the rock in whom we put our trust and on whom we build our lives, that our faith may be rich and meaningful, we pray:
– That our friendships may be firm and reliable, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
this bread and this wine are signs
that we want to do your will.
Give us your Son to go with us
on the loyal road to you and to the people.
For you are our God for ever and ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, our rock,
we want to build our lives on you
by the power of Jesus your Son.
Through him, make us strong enough
to keep on our feet when the rains of sorrow come,
and the floods of trials rise,
and when the storm winds
of doubt and fear blow in us,
for you are our firm rock for ever.
Blessing
We want our lives to be meaningful and to give them direction. Let it be the direction given to it by God, by Jesus and his gospel. Let us with Jesus seek God’s will in all we do, for then we are sure our life is built on rock, solid and consistent. May God fill you with his blessing: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Matthew 7: 21-29
Build your life on the Rock
Today, the Lord invites us to reflect on the foundation of our life. He tells us that we must build on the Rock, and that Rock is Christ. Not ideas, not feelings, not appearances, not our own strength—but Christ. Only He gives us the security we need, especially when storms come.
Jesus warns us: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 7:21). Words are not enough. We are called to live our faith—not just speak it. This is the difference between Christians of words and Christians of action. The first may look good for a time, but when the rain falls and the wind blows, their house collapses. The second have built their life on Christ. Even when troubles come, they stand firm.
Throughout history, the Church has seen many “Christians without Christ”: those who love ideas more than the Gospel, or rules more than mercy. Some live a faith of vague spirituality without Jesus—like modern Gnostics. Others cling rigidly to forms and traditions without love or joy. Both are missing something essential: the living Jesus, the Rock.
True Christianity is not rigid, nor is it soft. It is rooted in Christ, firm yet free. A heart founded on Jesus is filled with joy, humility, and the Holy Spirit. He gives us the freedom to call God “Father” and the strength to carry our cross with hope.
Let us ask the Lord for this grace today: to build our lives on Him, the solid rock. And let us turn to Mary, who lived this faith completely. She knows the strength that comes from standing on Christ. May she help us to do the same, with courage, joy, and freedom.
Amen.
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Matthew 7:21-29
Dig deeper in prayer to find the rock of Christ
We are called to be “Christians of action and not merely Christians of words,” says Pope Francis. We are called to “build the house”, that is our life, on the rock that is Christ.
The letter of St. James teaches us that "Faith without works is useless," (2:20). Witnessing to our faith through works is crucial in the life of a Christian. It's not enough to go to Mass on Sunday, to have the Bible on our shelf, to wear a cross of gold or silver around our neck, or to hang a rosary on the rear-view mirror of the car. Faith in Christ means daily conversion, changing our lives in conformity to the will of Christ. We listen to him, saying "… only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21) will enter heaven. How do I discern the will of the Father? The answer is to look at the life of Jesus as narrated in the Gospels.
A question that we should often ask ourselves is: Does my faith in Christ leave me complacent? Are my foundations of faith and prayer, deep and strong? Does it drive me to works of charity? Listening to and following Christ means knowing, loving, and serving God. When my foundations of prayer and faith weaken, my relationship with God, with others, and with myself also weakens. The storms and floods of our passions, anger and greed break us down. Jesus in the Gospel today invites us to dig deeper to find him - the rock - who is the surest foundation we can have when a crisis strikes. Am I building my life on sand? Is my prayer life weak? Am I stingy with my possessions and hard-hearted toward a family member?
The house built on sand appeared sturdy and stable. That is why no one thought to test its strength before the big storm arrived. Our lives could face similar dangers. In a time of calm, everything would seem OK. Everything looks good on the outside, like movie sets: all façade, but no depth. The Gospel invites us to examine whether there are areas of our lives where we live superficially. Are we just putting up appearances for the neighbours, parents or spouse? What problems do I need to weed out of my life?
Despite our shallow faith, the Lord loves us and stands by us. He knows our weakness, but he offers us his strength to confront what we need to change in our lives.
Let us resolve to identify one area where we are not truthful with ourselves and spend some time before the Lord to dig deeper in prayer to strengthen our foundations.