What many of us lack is discipline! Did know that the first seven letters of the word discipline is also used to spell Disciple? And for very good reason don’t you think? For how can we be disciples of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ if we lack self control, discipline to listen, be faithful and obey His Word for us. Today the Lord reminds us, ‘Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord” and not do what I say? And what did Jesus say? What were His commandments? He told us that we must be fruitful and apart from loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul we must love one another as He loved us.
So what are we doing in order to be fruitful? Have we tilled and enriched the soil of our hearts? By daily, listening attentively to His Word and Will for us? By entering into His presence through prayer and communion? Are we giving Him thanks and praise? Do we have kind words and thoughts which we share with our brethren? Are we building our relationship with Him and with one another upon our Rock, our Lord and Saviour?
Or are we instead tearing down foundations by our floods of emotions! With Anger, spitefulness, foul thoughts and vile language. Criticising and insulting others, murdering their spirit. Do we plant deceitful ideas against others to defame and destroy their reputations? Do we gossip in the guise of relieving our own stress? Do we then expect mercy when we are anything but merciful!
Yes the Lord our God is indeed patient, merciful and kind but do we really want to take Him for granted?! Woe to us if we do for we will have no peace, love or joy in our hearts.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God have mercy on me a sinner. Amen
First reading
1 Timothy 1:15-17
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
Here is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life. To the eternal King, the undying, invisible and only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel
Luke 6:43-49
Whoever hears me builds his house on a rock
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.
‘Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord” and not do what I say?
‘Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them – I will show you what he is like. He is like the man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!’
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