The daily Word of God
Thursday, June 26th, 2025
Thursday of week 12 in Ordinary Time
Matthew 7:21-29 "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven."
First Reading: Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16
Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children.
She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
Sarai said to Abram:
“The Lord has kept me from bearing children.
Have intercourse, then, with my maid;
perhaps I shall have sons through her.”
Abram heeded Sarai’s request.
Thus, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan,
his wife Sarai took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian,
and gave her to her husband Abram to be his concubine.
He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.
When she became aware of her pregnancy,
she looked on her mistress with disdain.
So Sarai said to Abram:
“You are responsible for this outrage against me.
I myself gave my maid to your embrace;
but ever since she became aware of her pregnancy,
she has been looking on me with disdain.
May the Lord decide between you and me!”
Abram told Sarai: “Your maid is in your power.
Do to her whatever you please.”
Sarai then abused her so much that Hagar ran away from her.
The Lord’s messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness,
the spring on the road to Shur, and he asked,
“Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from
and where are you going?”
She answered, “I am running away from my mistress, Sarai.”
But the Lord’s messenger told her:
“Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment.
I will make your descendants so numerous,” added the Lord’s messenger,
“that they will be too many to count.
Besides,” the Lord’s messenger said to her:
“You are now pregnant and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,
For the Lord has heard you,
God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone’s hand against him;
In opposition to all his kin
shall he encamp.”
Hagar bore Abram a son,
and Abram named the son whom Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5
R./ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. or: Alleluia.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Who can tell the mighty deeds of the Lord,
or proclaim all his praises?
R./ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. or: Alleluia.
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
R./ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. or: Alleluia.
Visit me with your saving help,
that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your people,
and glory with your inheritance.
R./ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. or: Alleluia
Gospel Reading: Matthew 7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.’
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.
Writing Straight with Crooked Lines
The episode described in today’s first reading is a good example of the old saying that gives this reflection its title.
It expresses a deep trust in divine providence—a providence that doesn’t always shape events according to our plans or desires.
Sometimes it may feel like God has abandoned us, but in truth, He works in mysterious ways to bring good out of evil.
Even in painful situations, God pours out His saving grace.
This truth is most clearly revealed in the death of Jesus on the cross, through which we received forgiveness and new life in the Resurrection.
That’s why Paul can boldly say:
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.”
(Romans 8:28)
Sarai’s unjust treatment of Hagar causes God to step in—not to immediately restore justice (which would violate human freedom), but to arrange things in such a way that even from this human wrongdoing, greater blessings can come.
But this trust in God’s providence—does it invite us to just sit back and accept everything passively?
Not at all.
Hagar is called by God’s Word to make a difficult choice—a decision that is fully her own.
She could have chosen differently.
This is exactly what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel.
He doesn’t tell us not to call out, “Lord, Lord,” but He warns us not to stop there.
There is a kind of lazy religiosity that looks good on the outside when everything’s fine, but falls apart when things get hard.
To lift our eyes to God and truly ask for His help means also to listen to His Word, receive it, and put it into practice.
And that means making hard decisions, choosing the steep path, entering through the narrow gate.
It means taking up our cross, and living by the commandment of love, forgiveness, and responding to evil with good.
Only then—by trying to live as He lived (cf. 1 John 2:6)—do we become His true disciples,
people who build their lives on rock, and can stay faithful even during hard times, whether personal or social.
Only then can we turn the story around,
transforming the evil that surrounds us—and seems to be winning—into a story of salvation,
into an event of grace,
for the good of those who love Him,
and, through them, for the good of all,
because Christ died and rose again for everyone.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
your Son Jesus Christ, challenges us
to honor you not only with our lips
but also in our hearts and with our deeds.
Help us to respond to his word
with all that is in us
and with him to seek your will
in all we do.
Grant us this through Christ, our Lord.
First Reading Introduction:
When it took time for God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah to give him a son, Abraham begets a son from his maid Agar. Ishmael, though rejected by Sarah, will become the forefather of the fierce and independent Bedouins.
Gospel Reading Introduction:
“Not those who say, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom, but one who does the will of my Father.” We are familiar with Jesus’ words, but do we follow them? Do we build on rock, that is, follow Jesus, or do we follow ourselves and our whims and so build on sand?
General Intercessions
– That we may not just hear and know the Word of God but act accordingly and enthusiastically, we pray:
– That the Lord may be the rock in whom we put our trust and in whom we build our lives, that our faith may be rich and meaningful, we pray:
– That our friendships may be firm and reliable, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
this bread and this wine are signs
that we want to do your will.
Give us your Son to go with us
the loyal road to you and to people.
For you are our God, for ever and ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, our rock,
we want to build our lives on you
by the power of Jesus, your Son.
Through him, make us strong enough
to keep on our feet when the rains of sorrow come,
and the floods of trials rise,
and when the storm winds
of doubt and fear blow in us,
for you are our firm rock for ever.
Blessing
We want our life to be meaningful, to give direction to it. Let it be the direction given to it by God, by Jesus and his Gospel. Let us with Jesus seek God’s will in all we do, for then, we are sure our life is built on rock, solid and consistent. May God fill you with his blessing: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
