God's Desire That We Build a Relationship with Him

In today’s Gospel, Mt 7: 21-29, Jesus says “I never knew you,” to those who do all kinds of things in his name: casting out demons, prophesying, performing mighty deeds and yet do not take the time to develop a personal relationship with the Lord.   If I spend all my time doing great things for the Lord but do not share my life, my thoughts and feelings, my hopes and dreams, my fears and weaknesses, my secrets  with the Lord, as one does with a friend, I have, in fact,  alienated myself from the Lord.  I have, in the words of the Gospel, built my house upon sand. “The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”  On the other hand, I have a choice to accept Jesus’ invitation to become one with Him as He and the Father are one, intimately connected in word and in deeds, so that what the Father does and thinks, the Son also does and thinks; what the Father wills, the Son also wills. They are one in mind, heart and will, knowing each other intimately. That is our call, as well, as disciples of Christ. I pray that you and I have the wisdom, the humility, and the courage, each day, to take time to intimately share our life with the Lord in prayer and in deed! May we wisely put our relationship with the Lord first and then let our good works flow from that relationship.