THURSDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT (Mt 7:21, 24-27) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” (Mt 17:24)

FIRST READING - Is 26:1-6

"A righteous nation may enter."

A reading from the Book of Isaiah

¹ On that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah:

“A strong city^[b] have we;    

he sets up victory as our walls and ramparts.

² Open up the gates    

that a righteous nation may enter,    

one that keeps faith.

³ With firm purpose you maintain peace;    

in peace, because of our trust in you.”

⁴ Trust in the Lord forever!    

For the Lord is an eternal Rock.

⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,    

the lofty city he brings down,

Brings it down to the ground,    

levels it to the dust.

⁶ The feet of the needy trample on it—    

the feet of the poor.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 7:21, 24-27

"The one who does the will of my Father in heaven, will enter the kingdom of heaven."

✠From the Gospel according to Matthew

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,^[a] but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ^24 [a]“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ 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. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

THURSDAY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT (Mt 7:21.24-27)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

Today's Word of God is given to all humanity. That is the image of the Son of God, a true, noble, and great Man, who came down to earth to become human, to dwell with, to accompany humanity, and to bestow the very Word of God to instruct humanity.

When every person is born into this world, the Word of God is inscribed deep within their heart; for everyone is granted by God a loving heart and a pure, upright, and true conscience; God reveals that this conscience is precisely the word of God inscribed deep within the heart of every person, and the voice of conscience will always remind people to do good and avoid evil, to live virtuously, and to shun all wickedness.

Today, God desires all humanity to know how to listen to and practice the Word of God. Whoever is wise enough to practice according to the instructions of God's Word, living as a righteous, holy, and compassionate person, will always be protected, preserved, and loved by God. God has always accompanied and remained beside humanity. Thus, every person is protected and sheltered by God; He never abandons any soul from His loving embrace.

God reminds humanity that those who walk in darkness, who walk the path of sin, are rejecting God, are excluding His Word from their lives.

God calls those who live in that state of sin to rise and run toward the light of God, so that the Word of God may become a lamp for their steps, a light to guide their way.

Thus, that very Word will lead people to live and practice according to the Truth; and through the Truth, humanity will be saved from the captivity of Satan. But if anyone merely listens without putting it into practice, they will easily be controlled by Satan, who will steal their soul both in this life and the next.

Therefore, today, God calls upon all humanity, saying that

Every person should listen to and practice the Word of God, so that they may be saved by Him and receive eternal life for their soul when He calls them out of this world.

Humanity must not fall into the traps of Satan, must not walk in darkness, must not live on the path of sin. Take courage to rise and resolve to return and practice the Word that God commands, so that Satan cannot steal that person's soul from the loving embrace of God, who is the Father of all people.

Only by listening to the word of God and putting it into practice can humanity stand firm in love, stand firm in the Truth and in the eternal life that God will grant to every human soul when He calls them out of this world and allows them to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thanks be to God. Amen.