THURSDAY OF THE 12TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
MATTHEW 7: 21-29

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the

kingdom of heaven, 10 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.
 WHY DOES THE CHURCH ALSO
MAKE DECLARATIONS ABOUT
ETHICAL QUESTIONS AND ABOUT
MATTERS OF PERSONAL CONDUCT?

Believeing is a path. One learns how to stay on this path, in

other words, how to act rightly and to lead a good life, only
by following the instructions in the Gospel. The teaching
authority (Magisterium) of the Church must remind people
also about the demands of the natural moral law.
(2032-2040, 2049-2051)
There are not two truths. What is humanly right cannot be

wrong from the Christian perspective. And what is right

according to Christianity cannot be humanly wrong. That is why

the Church must teach comprehensively about moral issues.

The life, the body, the love, the order in which we live —
everything is created by God. And all these moments are
poisoned, wounded, threatened. Jesus comes to redeem
our life, our body, our love. And in the Gospels he brings
an abundance of instructions. The Church reminds us of
them, and she must not remain silent about the
commandments even when the preacher himself fails
because of them.
- Bernhard Meuser