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“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
It’s frightening to think of those of whom Jesus is speaking.
Imagine arriving before the throne of God upon your passing from
this earthly life and you cry out to Him, “Lord, Lord!” And you
expect Him to smile and welcome you, but instead you come
face-to-face with the reality of your ongoing and obstinate
disobedience to the will of God throughout your life. You suddenly
realize that you acted as if you were a Christian, but it was only
an act. And now, on the day of judgment, the truth is made manifest
for you and for all to see. A truly frightening scenario.
To whom will this happen? Of course, only our Lord knows. He is the
one and only Just Judge. He and He alone knows a person’s heart,
and judgment is left only to Him. But the fact that Jesus told us
that “Not everyone” who expects to enter Heaven will enter should
grab our attention.
Ideally, our lives are directed by a deep and pure love of God, and
it is this love and this love alone that directs our lives. But
when a pure love of God is not clearly present, then the next best
thing may be a holy fear. The words spoken by Jesus should evoke
this “holy fear” within each of us.
By “holy,” we mean that there is a certain fear that can motivate
us to change our lives in an authentic way. It’s possible that we
fool others, and maybe even fool ourselves, but we cannot fool God.
God sees and knows all things, and He knows the answer to the one
and only question that matters on the day of judgment: “Did I
fulfill the will of the Father in Heaven?”
A common practice, recommended over and over by Saint Ignatius of
Loyola, is to consider all our current decisions and actions from
the point of view of the day of judgment. What would I wish I had
done in that moment? The answer to that question is of essential
importance to the way we live our lives today.
Reflect, today, upon that important question in your own life. “Am
I fulfilling the will of the Father in Heaven?” What will I wish I
had done, here and now, as I stand before the judgment seat of
Christ? Whatever comes to mind, spend time with that and strive to
deepen your resolve to whatever God reveals to you. Do not
hesitate. Do not wait. Prepare now so that the day of Judgment will
also be a day of exceeding joy and glory!
My saving God, I pray for insight into my life. Help me to see
my life and all of my actions in the light of Your will and Your
Truth. My loving Father, I desire to live fully in accord with Your
perfect will. Give me the grace I need to amend my life so that the
day of judgment is a day of the greatest glory. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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