And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a
foolish man that built his house upon the sand, and the rain fell, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great
was the fall thereof.
Mixed within the Advent liturgy are anticipations of both the joyful First Coming of our Lord
in mercy and of the glorious Second Coming of our Lord in judgment. Our Lord says in
no uncertain tones that not everyone shall be saved and “enter into the Kingdom of
heaven.” Our Lord teaches that not even all Christians shall be saved when he says, “Not
everyone that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” With such
a fearful prospect before our eyes, it would be easy to despair or live in a crippling fear of
eternal damnation. Yet, Our Lord, the physician of souls, informs us of the dire
circumstances with the goal of encouraging us to seek more earnestly the remedy He
presents.
Do the Will of My Father
Our Lord explains, “he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven.” This is a clear answer, and it is reasonable that a merely external
and corporeal profession, i.e., saying “Lord, Lord,” is not sufficient to enter a kingdom
which is primarily interior and spiritual. Yet, this answer is not enough to console the
troubled hearts of man. For how can man, limited and sinful, arrive at a certain knowledge
of the will of God and find the strength to put it into action? Our Lord continues, “Everyone,
therefore, that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man.”
At last, something that man can achieve by his powers with ease. For hearing is in man
by nature and is easily accomplished. Yet, to do all that Jesus commands is difficult, and
we experience daily failures. Is it possible to find true consolation in this explanation of
our Lord? The primacy of Jesus’ person is important to answer this question.
Hear My Words
He does not say, “that hearth the truth” or “that hearth a good person,” but “that hearth
[…] my words.” We must hear Jesus’ words to enter into the Kingdom. To hear His words,
He must come to us so that we can hear Him. This is the great consolation hidden in
these words. God-made man has come to dwell with us. He has come to point us to
eternal life, because He desires us to be there infinitely more than we do. By His coming
in the flesh, He has also given us grace to carry out His life-giving commandments. We
need only open our ears, listen, and do what we hear.
