God, Our Rock

December 2, Thursday

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

 

         The first reading comes from an insert in Isaiah that was written in a later period. It speaks of God’s judgment and the victory of God over “cities” of sin. But Jerusalem, God’s community, God’s city, will stand. Those faithful to God can rely on him: he is faithful and solid as a rock.

         Those who accept the call and challenge of Jesus’ words by living as his disciples are building on rock. This is true both for the individual disciple and for the community of the Church.

 

First Reading: Isaiah 26:1-6

At that time, this song
    will be sung in the country of Judah:
We have a strong city, Salvation City,
    built and fortified with salvation.
Throw wide the gates
    so good and true people can enter.
People with their minds set on you,
    you keep completely whole,
Steady on their feet,
    because they keep at it and don’t quit.
Depend on God and keep at it
    because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.
Those who lived high and mighty
    he knocked off their high horse.
He used the city built on the hill
    as fill for the marshes.
All the exploited and outcast peoples
    build their lives on the reclaimed land.

 

Gospel: Matthew 7:21,24-27

“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me.

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

 

Prayer

Lord, our God,

to those who trust in you

and live the Gospel of your Son,

you are a dependable rock.

In the storms and tensions of our times,

may our faith never waver,

but give us the courage

to live as we believe,

consistently, radically,

that with your Son we may do your will

and live in your love, now and for ever. Amen.

 

Reflection

Christians of action Vs Christian of words

The Gospel calls us to become Christians of action and truth and not merely Christians of words. So often we are tempted to be satisfied with our recitation of set of prayers and believe that we are doing all that a Christian should do. Do we fall into the category of those of whom Jesus speaks about in the Gospel today: “Not everyone who says, Lord Lord….” The temptation is to live our faith away from the rock that is Christ. We have the false confidence that the rosaries, the novenas and the prayers are of greater importance than our acts of charity.

The Gospel invites us not to be just minimalists. Instead, our faith needs to be rooted on the rock of Christ. When our faith touches the rock, there is safety. Jesus himself says so with vivid examples: “the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew”, but the house stood strong against them. On the contrary, when there are only words, they are like sand that drifts away.

The temptation to be ‘Christians of words’ results in a Christianity without Christ. Words detached from practice is hypocrisy. We find Jesus admonishing the Pharisees for knowing everything but not putting what they know into practice. So he tells the people: “do what they tell you, but not what they do, because they don’t do what they say.”

It is necessary that a house be built on a solid foundation to survive the forces of nature. This does not mean that the house owner could remain complacent after laying a strong foundation. It would be foolish to limit his attention to the foundation alone and then carelessly build the walls and the roof with poor quality materials.

Similar dangers can threaten our spiritual life as well. We do begin on a strong foundation of love of God and love for the Word of God. But as life moves on, we get distracted from God, our relationship with God gets limited to reciting some prayers and going for a Sunday Mass. This can be compared to using cheaper materials of the world, and build up our life on those convenient and world- friendly resources – which are sand on the shore.

This sand is not solid. This is merely an act of “dressing up” like a Christian, but such lives are constructed without foundations. The rock, on the other hand, is the Lord. He is the strength. But many times, those who trust in the Lord may not have many successes and they may remain hidden… but they are steady.

 

Video available on Youtube: Christians of action Vs Christian of words