The theologian William Barclay once wrote, “It is not difficult to recite a creed, but it is difficult to live the Christian life. Faith without practice is a contradiction in terms.” As Jesus tells us, “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.” Today’s Gospel reminds us that love is shown through our actions. Obeying God’s Will is like building a house on solid rock.
So, we ask ourselves, “If we love God, will we not do His will?” Yet we often find that we fail to do His will despite praying and desiring to do good. St. Paul says, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” By our own human strength, we fail miserably. Only through God’s grace can we do what is good.
The good news is that God never give up on us. St. Ignatius noted that God’s help always remain available even if we do not perceive it clearly. He goes on to add that even in deep desolations, God still provides sufficient grace for our salvation. We know that God’s grace of repentance is always available despite our infinite folly. His will for us is to return to Him without measure.
Repentance is God’s infinite love, through which we can always begin. This, to me, is the priceless treasure that God provides without measure to help us do His Will. It is from this gift of repentance that we find the strength to do His will more and more each day.
Rev. George Meze, SJ
I am Fr. Vilezo George Meze SJ, originally from India. I am doing my EdD studies and serve as a spiritual director with Campus Ministry. Before coming to the U.S., I spent a decade working in school administration among Indigenous communities in Northeast India.
