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.”
“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.”
Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Readings: Psalm 118, Isaiah 26:1-6 and Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Reflection
The reading for today tells us that the one who does the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven, and it also states that whoever listens to his word and puts it into practice is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
What is the will of the Father, and how, like the wise man, can we build a strong house? From today’s reading we can find that the will of God is love. God gave us life, wisdom, freedom, and especially love, which will become the material needed to build our house. In addition, he has confidence that we will build the reign of God in communion with other people, that we will be creative and prudent in doing so.
What is the will of the Father, and how, like the wise man, can we build a strong house? From today’s reading we can find that the will of God is love. God gave us life, wisdom, freedom, and especially love, which will become the material needed to build our house. In addition, he has confidence that we will build the reign of God in communion with other people, that we will be creative and prudent in doing so.
Jesus seems to be telling us that we ought to live in love, that is to say we ought to do the will of the God in communion with other people, nature, and especially that we ought to be
creative and prudent in light of the changes in the modern world.
We ought to build the reign of God in this real but changing world where there exists other ideologies, where there are those who don’t have time to pray, much less share love with those around them. It is in this climate that we need to build the house on a firm foundation so that the message of Jesus and the love of God do not disappear. We are to be prudent and wise so that the building will not collapse in the real world—may we remember this in the busyness and noise of this Advent season.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call him while he is near.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call him while he is near.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Prayer
Comforting God,
May I surrender myself to you this day. As I offer my dreams and ambitions, my anxieties and my fears may I be fully open to the prompting of your Spirit.
Help me, O God, to embrace this Advent and to use it as a time to expand and transform my life.
Help me, O God, to look for ways of cultivating my relationship with you and with others. Give me opportunities to show your grace and your mercy.
In your name I pray. Amen
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