Good Behaviour

Mt 7:21-29

“Jesus said to his disciples: It is not those who say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

We come today to the final reading from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus spells out the essential quality of the true disciple. He or she is not to be measured merely by external activities. It is not enough, for instance, to keep saying “Lord, Lord…” That by itself will not bring a person under the kingship of God. It will not be enough even to be able to perform wonders like casting out demons or working other miracles even in the name of Jesus. The true disciple is someone who is totally united to God in heart, soul and mind. Such a person is one who listens to Jesus’ words and carries them out.

Good behaviour and actions are the only way to honour the Lord. Our prayer sessions and liturgical practices can become a mere sham, if they are not translated into correct behaviour and good actions. Today, therefore, is an opportunity to break down our hypocritical behaviour, our superficiality and lack of depth.

Our biggest sin could be superficiality. The shape of evil is much more superficiality and blindness than the usually listed sins. Sin is to stay on the surface of even holy things, like Bible, sacrament, or church.

To live a Christian life only on the surface, that is, only with words and externally conforming behaviour, is like building a house on sand. Once we come under attack, we will collapse because we have no deep foundation inside. We see that happening frequently when people who have lived in an outwardly Christian environment move to a purely secular situation. They fall away very quickly. So let us be like that sensible person who builds his house on rock, the firm foundation that is Christ with the vision of Christ also the vision of our own life, a life built on truth and love.

As Gandhi said, you have to dig one deep well, not many shallow ones.