Today’s Gospel Reading is complemented with today’s Old Testament reading when Moses said, “I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing for those who obey the Lord your God and a curse for those who do not.”
 
This short Gospel reading is the conclusion of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus spoke with the authority of God as he repeatedly said, “it was said of old. . .but I say to you.”
 
In summary, the Sermon on the Mount concludes with warnings that to enter through the narrow gate to eternal life, one must avoid false prophets, build your house, church, and life on a firm foundation rather than a glib expositions and misinterpretations of scripture.  Therefore, our challenge today is to really hear, listen, and act on Jesus’ teachings.
 
Although Fr. John would never want to admit this because he thinks I’m a half-a-bubble out of plumb most of the time, we do have one thing in common.  We are both rabid fans of Notre Dame Football.  For me, when I am watching a game, I am totally immersed in every aspect of the game, especially when Notre Dame is ahead of USC.  When I am totally enraptured in the game, it seems to me that Roberta chooses this time to ask me to solve or do some seemingly inane things, such as, “the kitchen is on fire” and I respond with a typical, but very sincere, “Yeah, yeah.”  Unfortunately, it is remotely possible that I might even forget to do what I promised because I never really heard her. 
 
To illustrate what was meant by really hearing, listening, and acting on Jesus’ words, he related a parable to us about the Rich man and Lazarus.  The very well to do Rich man, in his own world was a respectable pillar of society and probably tithed and gave alms from afar.  But he did not see Lazarus as a human being, he only saw him as part of the street scenery outside his door.  He did not acknowledge the humanity of Lazarus and thereby violated his own humanity.  He must have been far more interested in status and pleasure.  Eventually, he was chosen not to enter into eternal life.  He was an example of one who said “Lord, Lord”, but it was in vain and was not recognized and he was rejected.  He chose to build his house on sand that eroded rather than a rock-solid foundation of doing God’s will.
 
I learned about some of the hazards of working in and with sand from my Grandfather.  We farmed in the Gila Valley in southwestern New Mexico and had to irrigate our land from water diverted from the Gila River but we had to wait our turn to irrigate.  Our turn could come at 1:00 AM and we had the water for 2 to 3 weeks before our turn would come around again.
 
One day, I asked my Grandfather how deep would I have to dig to get to water for irrigation.  He told me about 30 to 90 feet depending on where I attempted to dig.  I was about 12 years old.  I told him I was going to dig a well so we would always have access to water.  He told me “Si, si, por que no.”  That was mild form of “Yeah, yeah” in Spanish.
 
I spoke to several old timers about digging a well.  One told me to go and talk to a water witch and he could tell me the best place to dig and hit water.  I went and the water witch showed me a “special” fork he had cut from a  tree and demonstrated how he used it.  He explained the science of why water witching worked but after many questions he told me that it was not for everyone and not just anyone could make it work.  He said you had to have a sixth sense to make it work.  He charged $80 to witch a well and guaranteed his work.  I didn’t have $80 so I went to the river and found a tree with a perfect fork that looked better than the one the water witch had and I tried and tried but it never gave me the irresistible downward motion that indicated water.  Apparently, I did not have the necessary sixth sense.
 
About that same time, there was a French priest who would come and give Mass at the little church in Gila.  After Mass he would come to our home and my mother would prepare a meal for him.  He would tell us interesting stories and one story that caught my attention was that he could tell where one should dig for a successful well.  He claimed that he could find water where others had failed.  To my mother’s embarrassment, I asked him to demonstrate how he would do it and he quickly agreed.  He had a device that consisted of a couple of sticks in the form of a cross with an affixed string and plumb-bob arrangement.  He showed us how when he held the device that the plumb-bob would swing one way or another as an indication of water.  I was skeptical and asked a lot of questions culminating with “Could I operate this device?”  He said, “Not really”.  You had to “be called” to do this.  I didn’t get this calling I guess.
 
I had a choice of asking a water witch that had a fee of $80 or a priest who was a diviner for free but my Mom would disown me.  I decided to make my own determination of where to dig.  When I had dug down about 2 feet, my Grandfather drove down to the field and patiently, but very pointedly, told me to top and bury the hole and not pursue it any longer.  He explained that digging a well in dry soil and rocks was totally different from digging in sand.  He said something about perched water zones and cave-ins but most importantly how dangerous it was to try to do this in sand.  Sand was treacherous and did not offer a stable foundation.  When my Grandfather spoke, he did so with authority, from experience, and much wisdom.  I listened and would never go against his will.  I think he thought I had too much free time and sent me to hoe the bean field. 
 
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus said that whoever does the will of the Father is promised the Kingdom of God.  But what is God’s will and power as opposed to the will and power of Satan?  Why does it seem that God’s will is so weak relative to Satan’s power that seems so prevalent in this world?
 
In his recent book, Pope Benedict XVI describes two modes of power: the power of domination and the power of obedience.
 
Satan’s power is typified as the power that is like God’s but is more a caricature of the likeness of God—Satan offers power at his price: a power based on terror, fear, selfishness, the rape of others, and the idolization of oneself.  It is the very power Satan offered as a temptation to Jesus and that Jesus rejected on top of the mountain and the pinnacle of the Temple.  Satan’s heights are the heights of doing things seemingly on ones own authority, of uninhibitedly striving to possess all things.  Does this sound like God’s will or some of the dictators that rule in today’s world?
 
Alternately, God is all-powerful but yet is revealed to us in this world, in the power of Jesus Christ, which comes from the unity of his will with the Father’s.  What he refused to accept from the devil is really his, but in a completely different way since it comes from a different source, namely, a divine source.  Jesus achieved the highest peak of being by being one with the true God in saying, “Thy will be done.”  Therefore, he is the true God whose power and might are eternal truth and love.  Satan’s offer of power ultimately results in death to the soul--essentially the path of death chosen by the Rich man.
 
In faith, we know that our God, the all-powerful Creator is both truth and love.  God’s power in this world is the humble power of obedience to the will of God, is the translation of power to humility, and is the power of love even to the cross.
 
Knowing this, we can understand what Jesus meant when he said that only the one who does the will of my Father, only the one who avoids the charm of false prophets, only the one who does not give this Mass lip service and only the one who builds his life on a true foundation of rock rather than sand, will achieve the kingdom of God.
 
I feel very fortunate to be a deacon.  I love the Mass.  There are several places in the Mass that make my knees weak, that leave me a little dazed, especially during the doxology when on occasion, while lifting the cup with the blood of Jesus next to the Body of Christ, I see my reflection on the surface of the gold cup.  (I see each of your names in the Body and Blood of Christ.)  This is a time of awe and deep reverence and being shaken to the very roots of my heart and soul and not feeling worthy.  It is a moment where heaven meets earth.  It is not a time for giving lip service to God.
 
If your life is centered on Jesus’ words and commandments and you seek the will of God in your lives, you will never say “Lord, Lord” in vain.  You will never say, “Yeah, yeah” to God.  Instead, you will seek the narrow gate so as to be recognized and welcomed by Jesus in heaven.  Alleluia!