The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (7:21, 24-27)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. “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.”
Reflection: Foundation, foundation, foundation. Working in the construction industry – our company knows that setting and building a strong and true foundation sets how well our project will go. If we are off – walls will be misaligned, measurements will be off and the structure will not stand properly. Jesus speaks of building our lives on the firm rock that is the Father. We do this by “doing the Will of the Father.” Our faith and our love for God demands that we act.
Our Catholic faith provides a list of things to do and things to avoid. Go to Mass on Sunday, go to confession at least once a year, receive the Eucharist at least once a year, observe the days of fasting and abstinence, help provide for the needs of the Church, and follow the commandments. We are called to do good and avoid evil. I share these precepts of the Church, as they are the bare minimum of what we are asked to “do”. Do we want to give God the bare minimum? Do our lives reflect the Gospel? Do we just hear Him or do we truly listen to His words? When we hear the words, do we simply keep them in mind – then we become the ones who say” Lord, lord.” But when we listen and put those words into action and carry them in our hearts – we enliven our faith to move mountains and we build our house on solid rock. We build it on the truth and beauty of Mother Church.
Action of the Day: Prayer is the Way – Discernment is knowing the Truth – Discipleship is (the Life. Pray to God, to the Saints and the angels, that is how we come to know Him. Discern what is right and wrong according to God’s Will, this is how we learn His truth. Be His disciple and live your life as His son or daughter! This is how we prepare ourselves this Advent season for His coming! Receive the Eucharist, daily if possible, and go to Confession.
Audio Reflection:
