Twelfth Thursday of Ordinary Time

“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. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

Our faith isn't superficial. Sure, we can fool others and fake being good and faithful people, but the truth is seen by God. He knows when our seemingly good acts have evil or impure intentions. He knows when we are being truly faithful and when we are just going through the motions. He knows when we are doing good things, not for His sake, but for the praise of others. Nothing we do is secret from Him. This is why it is so important to be truly faithful in our souls and do the God's Will in everything. Yes, this requires a great deal of sacrifice from us. We have to give up our selfishness, our impure passions, and all those things that may tempt us to sin. However, this is a path that will lead us to life everlasting and graces beyond counting.

Are we being truly faithful or just faking it out of a sense of obligation or desire to be admired by others? Are we truly repentant of our sins and genuinely seeking to amend our ways? How can we become more faithful to God so that He will know us as His own?

O Lord, help us to be truly faithful to you in all things.

Amen.