“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. (Matthew 7:21)
When I was a kid, at this time of year, we started making our lists for Santa and wondering where we stood on his “naughty and nice” list. If we felt a little wobbly, we’d do the dishes without being asked and be nicer to our siblings.
As adults, we tend take this same approach to “entering the Kingdom of heaven.” Do we need to make a list to show St. Peter how we did “the will of my Father in heaven”? What’s the minimum score to qualify? Does leading a Cub Scout pack count as much as donating to the food pantry?
Even though we’ve been taught that we can’t “earn” heaven, this seems almost counterintuitive to us, former Santa Claus list makers. Somehow, we instinctively feel we need to prove to God that we are worthy of a reward. Maybe that’s why the Pharisee prayed by reminding God of all the good things he did.
It may help to remember that we are already members of the Communion of Saints – Christ’s body in action. The people who believe this are feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, comforting the afflicted, and generally serving the least of our brothers and sisters. They aren’t worrying whether God is noticing. OF COURSE he is! But such people don’t quit helping others when they reach an imaginary celestial minimum point total required to get into heaven. They aren’t martyrs parading their sanctity. They are already, in a sense, living in the Father’s house because they have found their joy and meaning in life by doing his will. I know them and so do you.
They are the people Jesus was talking about in today’s gospel. No scorecard or list needed.
Finally, as to those who call our “Lord, Lord” to flaunt their piety, I think of what that unsanctimonious Baptist Harry Truman is alleged to have said. “When someone prays too loudly in church, go home and lock up the smokehouse.”
Eileen Wirth
I’m a retired Creighton journalism professor, active in St. John’s parish and a CLC member. In retirement, I write books about state and local history, including a history of the parish, and do volunteer PR consulting for groups like Habitat for Humanities, refugees etc. I love to read, work out, spend time with family and friends including those who can no longer get out much.
Writing reflections has deepened my faith by requiring me to engage deeply with Jesus through the Scriptures. In the many years I have been doing this, I’ve also formed friendships with regular readers nationally, most of whom I have never met. Hearing from readers and what I learn by writing make the hours I spend on each reflection well worth the effort.
