Traditional Catholic Teaching - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Not every one that saith to Me: 'Lord, Lord,'
shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

St. Matthew 7: 21.

Piety that consists only in saying prayers is not worthy of the name; it confuses the end with the means, and is apt to degenerate into absolute evil when anyone fancies that by prayer and pious practices he can make reparation for his sins, and need not trouble about amendment of life. To call God "Lord" in prayer, but in life to desire to be one's own lord, is a contradiction that leads to destruction. Yet, on the other hand, it is impossible without prayer to live a life of piety and perfectly to comply with God's will. We ought to resolve to lead a good life, but we must hope for grace from above to enable us to do so.

As St. Augustine says:

"Who can enter into the glory of the Lord and contemplate His power, unless He opens the door? And who can open the door, if He has shut it? The sanctuary that it behooves us to enter here on earth, is the sanctuary of virtue based on faith. The way to it is full of difficulties; in fact, without God it is hard to find the right road, for there are so many others resembling it, but leading eventually to evil and not to good. The world often calls a way the path of virtue, whereas it is nothing but vanity, ambition and wickedness. Even if we start along the right road, we are very apt to stray from it, and it does not follow, because we lead respectable lives, that we have reached the sanctuary of virtue, for this consists in loving God, and none but God Himself can open to us true love of Him. Therefore fear often takes possession of us when we are really trying to reach the sanctuary of virtue, and we ask ourselves in alarm: "Will not my weakness make me fall on the way? The eyes of my mind are darkened, shall I not mistake a wrong road for the right one ? Nothing but love of God can open to us the sanctuary of true virtue; shall I always really love Him? Will not my self-love often triumph over my love of God? The heart of man is fickle; although to-day I desire to do right, shall I always desire it? May not bad companions and bad examples cause me to waver in my good resolutions as life goes on? Must I not fear my own liability to change, so that what now appears to me sacred may become a matter of indifference, and what now seems the highest wisdom may hereafter seem folly?"

One thing alone can overcome this fear, this inability to trust ourselves; one thing alone can encourage us, when we remember our own weakness, and that is hope, true confidence in God. It is right for us to have this hope and confidence; we may hope that God will guide and govern us for our good, because He created us.

St. Augustine expresses in the following beautiful words this reason for our reliance upon God's natural assistance.

"Help me, 0 God, my Life, that I may not perish in my iniquity."

If Thou, 0 God, hadst not created me, I should not have existed; because Thou hast created me, I exist. My merits did not constrain Thee to create me, but Thy merciful goodness and love. May that love that forced Thee, 0 my God, to create me, force Thee also, I implore Thee, to guide me. For what would it profit me that in Thy by love Thou hadst created me, if I perished in my misery, and if Thy right hand guided me not? May Thy love constrain Thee to save him whom Thou hast created, for Thy Hand is still powerful, as Thou didst prove by my creation."

May our good God, who created us to be happy with Him in heaven, assist us with His power, so that we may follow the right path, which we can find only in the sanctuary of Divine love. God is the object of our hope and trust; may He help us, His creatures, so that we may become and remain His loving and obedient children; this is our sweetest hope and in it we place all our confidence.

If ever doubt and fear assail us, and our hearts lose courage, if we look into the future, afraid lest we should be led astray, so as to mistake the way of sin for that of virtue, and the path of unbelief for that of faith, then let us at once renew our hope and confidence in God's goodness.

By hope we cling lovingly to Him, begging Him always to remain with us. Hope encourages us to look to Him with childlike confidence for protection in danger and for help in difficulties. Confidence is a vigorous hope, and both gain additional strength if we are zealous in considering the truths of our holy religion. The more plainly we see that God is all power, all knowledge, goodness, mercy, truth and everlasting love, the firmer will be our trust in Him. Our confidence will be strengthened by an intelligent survey of history, especially of sacred history, which will show us how mercifully and wisely God directs the destiny of whole nations. It is easy for Him to frustrate the wicked intentions of the mighty, and to bring to a successful issue the efforts of the righteous; He can save, even when the peril seems unavoidable. Although He has created all men with free will, they must eventually contribute to the carrying out of His designs. The history of nations and of the great men of the world teaches us that God governs all things wisely for the good of His own children, and this knowledge should be to us a firm foundation for our confidence that He will direct and govern everything for our good also.

Our confidence will be strengthened moreover by a survey of our own lives, and by a grateful remembrance of the guidance that has made itself felt at many critical moments. The more we accustom ourselves to follow His guidance by submitting to His will, the greater will be our trust in Him. Hope and trust in God lead us to do His will. Hope united with love becomes an earnest longing for God. A consideration of His perfections also adds strength to our confidence, for it convinces our reason, more and more completely, that eternal happiness can be the lot of those only who do His will under His guidance.

If, however, hope remains without works, our confidence is unfounded, and the sanctuary of virtue and the gate of eternal happiness will never open to admit us. This is the truth that our Lord stated in words apparently severe, but really full of kindness, when He said: "Not every one that saith to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." The statement is severe only for those who refuse to serve God; the conclusion of it applies to the good:

"He that doth the will of My Father, who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven". (Matthew. 7: 21). Amen.

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