Sunday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Moses told the people,
“Take these words of mine into your heart and soul.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign,
and let them be a pendant on your forehead.
“I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse:
a blessing for obeying the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today;
a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today,
to follow other gods, whom you have not known.”
Ps 31:2-3, 3-4, 17, 25Responsorial Psalm
R. (3b) Lord, be my rock of safety.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me,
incline your ear to me,
make haste to deliver me!
R. Lord, be my rock of safety.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Lord, be my rock of safety.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted,
all you who hope in the LORD.
R. Lord, be my rock of safety.
Rom 3:21-25, 28Reading 2
Brothers and sisters,
Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
though testified to by the law and the prophets,
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.
For there is no distinction;
all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.
They are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as an expiation,
through faith, by his blood.
For we consider that a person is justified by faith
apart from works of the law.
Mt 7:21-27Gospel
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.”
Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:
Moses told the people to take the words and download them into their individual programs, keeping reminders at wrist and forehead. (In Japan, still practiced.)
"The entire Creation Program was downloaded, and you were programmed within it, so that you would be able to make choices. If you obey The Loving Programmer, you’ll be blessed. If you obey some other entity, you will be cursed." (Hopefully, we’ll all see that, understand, obey, and be blessed. Please, Lord, let it be so.)
Loving Programmer, keep my program from being altered or erased.
In You, O Loving Programmer, I find safety; let me never be put to shame. In Your justice, save me. Hear my plea and deliver me!
Loving Programmer, keep my program from being altered or erased.
Be an unassailable stronghold for me. Keep me safe. For Your name’s sake, lead and guide me.
Loving Programmer, keep my program from being altered or erased.
In Your kindness, keep me save. All you you hope in help from The Loving Programmer, take courage and be brave.
Loving Programmer, keep my program from being altered or erased.
Brothers and sisters, The Loving Programmer has shown, by the sacrifice of His Son, The Program,
Who came to earth in loving, perfect, human form. In doing so, He fulfilled what the prophets said would be downloaded for our salvation, the living goodness of God in the form of Jesus Christ.
If you believe (sufficiently enough to obey?) you will understand and be saved.
There is no separation among humans–all have failed to obey His operating instructions and are kept from The Programmer’s glory.
They (believers?) are brought to Him freely, by His grace through the upload to Him provided by Jesus Christ, The Program Who took living, perfect, human form and came among us. The Loving Programmer saw that The Living Program saved us through His obedience, (which led to His painful sacrifice). We are saved by His faith, and theirs, His obedience, and theirs, and by His Blood. We consider that a person is made acceptable (to The Loving Programmer) by believing as well as by obeying the operating instructions.
Jesus told His disciples: "Not everyone who calls me ‘Lord, Lord.’ is going to get to Heaven. The only ones who get into Heaven are the ones who follow the Operating Instructions.
Many will say to me, (at the time they stand before Me as their Judge) ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? Didn’t we drive out demons in Your name? Didn’t we do mighty deeds in Your name?’
Then, I will declare to them in all seriousness, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you evildoers.’
"Everyone who listens to these words of Mine (very important Operating Instructions for us free-will programs to choose to follow) and obeys them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock. When rain, floods, and high winds came, they could not collapse the house. The builders instructions had been obeyed.
"And all of those who hear these words of mine and do not alter their behavior to conform with them is like a fool who builds his house on sand. Such houses, when rain, floods, and wind come will be collapsed and completely ruined."
("completely ruined" is a devastating phrase that should be a specter we set before us in our minds, or, like in the first reading, on our wrist or forehead, reminding us of the total ruination that is the inevitable result of not obeying His Operating Instructions.)
