Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with the story of the houses they have chosen to build.

If I build my life on his word I can withstand fierce of problems and storms.

who is truly a disciple.
The metaphor of the building to describe a life is particularly powerful. One person hears Jesus’ words and acts on them,

putting them into practice. The other hears Jesus’ words and doesn’t act on them.

 

  St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop & doctor

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

2 Kings 24:8-17

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old

When he succeeded his father, and he reigned for three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin treated Yahweh badly, 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 the city was being besieged by his men. Jehoiachin, king of Judah, surrendered, together with his mother, his servants, his leaders and the palace officials. It was the eighth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar captured them and he took away the treasures of the house of Yahweh and of the king's house. He also destroyed all the objects of gold which Solomon, king of Israel, had made for the Sanctuary of Yahweh. So the word Yahweh had spoken was fulfilled.

 

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 away Jehoiachin, with his mother, his wives, the ministers of the palace, and the prominent men of the land.

 

So all the prominent people, numbering seven thousand, the blacksmiths, numbering a thousand, and all the men fit for war were deported to Babylon by the king of Babylon.

He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king of Jerusalem, in place of Jehoiachin. And he changed his name to Zedekiah.

 

Ps 79:16-2, 3-5, 8, 9 For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 7:21-29

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. 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 openly, 'I have never known you; away from me, you evil people!'

 

"Therefore, anyone who hears these words of mine, and acts according to 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 accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!"

 

When Jesus had finished this discourse, they were struck by the way he taught, because he taught with authority, unlike their teachers of the law.

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Doing the Father’s will"

Today’s Gospel challenges the believers to do the will of the heavenly Father. Jesus' true disciples are neither the ones who would only invoke his name nor the ones who would perform miracles. The true followers of Jesus are those who exhibit a deeper relationship with the heavenly Father. This kind of intimate relationship with the Father will enable the disciples to submit their will with docility to the heavenly Father.

 

Further, this relationship with the Father will also enable the disciples to actively do the Father's will. We may reflect further on the challenge to do the Father's will. To do the will of God is not merely doing a trade or entering into a transaction or contract. To do the Father's will is to relate. Today's Gospel passage ends with Jesus cautioning his disciples that he will acknowledge the evildoers.

 

Here, the Greek word used for "doers" is ergazomenoi, which is the substantive form of the verb ergazomai, with the meaning that is related to investment or trading. As Jesus' disciples, our identity is characterized not by the functions we perform but by the relationship we have with God.