Thursday 4 December

ST. JOHN DAMASCENE

Isaiah 26:1-6, Psalm 118, Matt. 7:21, 24-27

The gate of heaven

All the readings refer to walls and gates. If we wish to enter the kingdom of heaven, our actions will be the key, not our words. Love, justice, compassion, mercy, and generosity are the criteria for entry. These and other beatitudes, performed privately, and without show, will make us welcome. There is an old saying, “When you die and go to meet God, the only things you can carry in your hands, are those things you gave away in your lifetime.”