Our Theme for 2020 (Part 56) – Built on Rock – 2

FROM THE SERVANT GENERAL

OUR THEME FOR 2020
(Part 56)

BUILT ON ROCK – 2

June 25, 2020

Today’s readings:
2 Kings 24:8-17
Psalm 79:1-9
Matthew 7:21-29

We are in our anniversary week. We are celebrating our 39^th year. As I said in our podcast yesterday¹, we have now entered the 4^th stage of God’s dealings with us, starting in October last year when we changed our name to MFC. This name reflects the fullness of who are are and what we are called to do.

And today we have the scripture passage from where we derived our theme for this year, Built on Rock. In 39 years we are now solidly built on the Rock that is Christ. As we celebrate our anniversary and look forward to the future, God brings us back to our theme for this year, and reinforces His divine call to us.

There are many so-called Christians today who no longer authentically Christians. In truth, 99 of the 100 sheep are lost. Many Catholics, members of the one true Church established by Jesus himself, are lapsed in their faith.

Jesus came into the world to bring us salvation. Then he left us his Church in order to support us in our Christian walk and to bring that salvation to many others. But is it enough to be a Christian to enter heaven? No it is not. That is, unless you are an authentic Christian. We are Christian not just by name but by how we live our lives, in and for Christ. So Jesus says, “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.” (Mt 7:21).

Unfortunately, today many Catholics not only do not do the will of God, but do not even realize how far they are from the Kingdom of God. There are many who serve in the Church, including clerics, who live lives not fully in conformity with the ways of God. Many will be shocked at the final judgment. “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.’” (Mt 7:22-23).

Include among these the following:

• The priest who celebrates Mass but who is an active homosexual.
• The social justice warrior who goes about works with the poor but also promotes contraception, abortion and LGBT.
• Lay leaders in lay ecclesial movements who do works of mission but are into pornography.
• Bishops who cover up for the wrongdoings of their priests or who turn a blind eye to sexual immorality in their flocks because of political correctness.
• Catholic administrators of Catholic educational institutions who allow and even support Gay and Lesbian Clubs in their campuses.
• Heads of religious congregations that have allowed the infiltration of beliefs or practices contrary to the Christian faith, such as New Age, approval of irregular unions, support for aspects of the culture of death, gender ideology.

So it is not just saying that we are Christians and that we do good things in the name of Jesus, but it is listening to and acting on Jesus’ words that enable us to build our house on Rock (Mt 7:24).

And so on our 39^th anniversary, as we look to the future, God impresses upon us the very theme He gave us for this year. This is so that whatever God has done for us, whatever He has given us, will be there to last. God has called us, appointed us, anointed us, empowered us, and sent us forth. But we cannot just rest on what we have become today, but continue to build our community on the Rock that is Christ.

Consider what happened to the chosen people of God, Israel. They were blessed when they were faithful, but punished when they were unfaithful and even idolatrous. Ultimately the end was tragic. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquered them, “defiled (the) holy temple” and “laid Jerusalem in ruins” (Ps 79:1b). Then “he deported all Jerusalem” (2 Kgs 24:14a). We must constantly be faithful to God and firmly grounded on Christ!

Today we are reeling under COVID-19. This is God’s chastisement, for the great evil that is in the world today, including the evil of so-called Christians. So we constantly and fervently pray for relief. “How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous anger keep burning like fire?” (Ps 79:5). Actually, it is wonderful that our God is jealous of whatever keeps us from being totally His. This is His great love for us. He wants us for Himself. We must rejoice in that.

Many times we take His love and mercy for granted. We feel we deserve His protection and blessings. We look to God punishing those who are not His people but sparing us. “Pour out your wrath on nations that do not recognize you, on kingdoms that do not call on your name.” (Ps 79:6). But God has a higher standard for His people. We are called to the very holiness of God. And so we must look to ourselves first and foremost, before rising in condemnation of the sins of the world.

And so we always turn to God. Not just due to COVID-19, but more especially due to the pandemic of sin in the world. This includes our own sins. “Help us, God our savior, on account of the glory of your name. Deliver us, pardon our sins for your name’s sake.” (Ps 79:9). We must be holy. We must be founded on the Rock that is Christ.

Happy 39^th. There is more to come.

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¹ Do join me in these podcasts, which for now are weekly, every Wednesday at 8pm Manila time. If you missed previous podcasts, you can still watch them on Facebook.