Rom 4:1-8
Lk 12:1-7
If we ever get into heaven, we ought to be surprised.
We ought to be surprised that we ever get there in the first place.
And we may be surprised by who is there; and also surprised by who is not there.
Indeed, in the first place, how many of us can say that we truly deserve to be in heaven.
We may be baptised, live religious lives, are good people, or even doing service and great things for the Lord.
But does this mean that we can claim for ourselves a place in heaven.
The Letter to the Romans (1st Reading), says that if a person has work to show, his wages are not considered as favour but as his due.
But when a person has nothing to show except his faith and trust in God, then that person is truly blessed.
As an example, Abraham put his faith in God, as his faith was a blessing for him.
Indeed, faith is a gift from God. It is because we see faith as a gift from God, that our deeds are acts of thanksgiving and to glorify God.
Then our deeds would not be just for selfish and self-glorifying motives.
We would not want to be hypocritical because we know that God sees everything and knows what so deep in our hearts.
Finally, when we see God face to face, there is no need to talk about the good we have done. We just want to give thanks to God.