12TH THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 7:21-29) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- Jun 28
- 5 min read
FIRST READING - 16:1-12, 15-16
A reading from the Genesis
Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children.
She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
Sarai said to Abram:
"The LORD has kept me from bearing children.
Have intercourse, then, with my maid;
perhaps I shall have sons through her."
Abram heeded Sarai's request.
Thus, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan,
his wife Sarai took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian,
and gave her to her husband Abram to be his concubine.
He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.
When she became aware of her pregnancy,
she looked on her mistress with disdain.
So Sarai said to Abram:
"You are responsible for this outrage against me.
I myself gave my maid to your embrace;
but ever since she became aware of her pregnancy,
she has been looking on me with disdain.
May the LORD decide between you and me!"
Abram told Sarai: "Your maid is in your power.
Do to her whatever you please."
Sarai then abused her so much that Hagar ran away from her.
The LORD's messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness,
the spring on the road to Shur, and he asked,
"Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from
and where are you going?"
She answered, "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai."
But the LORD's messenger told her:
"Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment.
I will make your descendants so numerous," added the LORD's messenger,
"that they will be too many to count.
Besides," the LORD's messenger said to her:
"You are now pregnant and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,
For the LORD has heard you,
God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone's hand against him;
In opposition to all his kin
shall he encamp."
Hagar bore Abram a son,
and Abram named the son whom Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - 7:21-29
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Jesus said to his disciples:
"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 prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?'
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'
"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
12TH THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Matthew 7:21-29)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In the Word of God for today God the Father invites His children to follow the example of the way of life lived by His Only Begotten Son, which is to put into practice the Word that God the Father teaches.
As the image of Jesus Christ, He obeyed God the Father, came down to earth and became a human, sacrificed Himself unto death, and was resurrected to redeem the sins of mankind—to save humanity. It was through the obedience of God's Only Son to fulfill the will of the Father that eternal life was brought to mankind. Therefore, the words He taught were filled with the strength and power of God the Father, expressed through the authority of Jesus Christ. These words have the power to attract and draw humanity to God the Father and to drive Satan out of the souls and bodies of mankind.
Through the life and obedience of His Only Son, Jesus Christ, God the Father teaches His children that: if we want to enjoy the happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven, we must live out His teachings—to live justly, charitably, and lovingly, knowing how to sacrifice for others. That is true love. For there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend. God the Father knows everything about each person—from thoughts to words, to actions and deeds. If we speak of love and faith only with our lips but do not live them out in truth, we do not please God the Father. And those who do not please God will not be accepted by Him nor will they enjoy eternal happiness in His Kingdom.
God the Father calls on people to live and do exactly as God the Father teaches, then Satan will lose. Because Satan will not like people who obey the will of God the Father, they will find every way to make people live hypocritically before God the Father, only making promises on the lips but not practicing. That is what God the Father teaches people to live in today's world.
To be assured of the reward of entering the Kingdom of Heaven, it is necessary to live according to the teachings of God the Father, following the example of obedience shown by His Only Son, Jesus Christ. This means living a life of self-sacrifice for the sake of others—giving up selfishness, hatred, jealousy, envy, and pride—and learning to live gently, humbly, selflessly, and lovingly, reflecting the image of Jesus Christ. When we live this way, the powerful words we speak to our brothers and sisters can break the hold of Satan, just as the words of Jesus, the Only Son of God, carry divine power and authority.
When Jesus preached the Word and called everyone to repentance, He spoke with authority—because He is God, He is love, and He is the strength and power of God.
God the Father invites people to believe in His Word and to live by it.
As people listen and follow, the power of God's Word will spread within them, breaking Satan’s hold on their lives.
Then, by the grace and power of God the Father, they will be granted the joy and happiness of the Kingdom of Heaven in the life to come.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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