“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
7th December 2017.
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THURSDAY, FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT
Memorial of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Reading 1: Is 26:1-6 Isaiah pleads with his people to trust in the Lord forever, for He is an everlasting Rock. He brings down the mighty and raises the poor. Israel sings to the Lord to open the Gates, for the righteous nation to enter.
Res. Psalm: Ps 117:1,8-9,19-21,25-27 The Psalm asks the Lord to open the gates, that the just may enter. It praises, saying it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men.
Gospel:Mt 7:21, 24-27 Jesus tells his disciples, that only those who do the will of the Father in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven. In the Lord is the only solid foundation for the house of our faith.
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Today, we hear about two builders; one is successful as he builds his house on rock, the other fails because he builds his house on sand. The first builder can be compared to the followers of Christ who not only listen to our Lord’s words but also act on them. However, one who hears the words of Christ, but chooses not to act on them is like the second builder; Some among us have constructed very nice and rock-solid houses in order to protect ourselves from all natural catastrophes, but have we prepared our souls to receive Jesus, at Christmas?
The lesson of the Gospel is clear: if we expect to weather the storms of life and still remain standing, we have to take Jesus’ teachings to heart and put them into practice. Jesus Christ is the only sure foundation upon which we may hope to stand. He is the basis for who we are and all that we hope to be. He is the rock upon which our faith is built. One of the ways in which we can allow the Word incarnate in our lives is to sow the Word often in our minds. It is to be fed by the Word.
Advent is the time given to us by the Church in order to tend to our spiritual foundations by both listening and acting. When we listen, we need to act in the anticipation of Jesus’ birth. In this way, Christmas will be celebrated in a home, and a heart, that is standing firm.
Prayer: Lord, You are my Rock. You are my salvation. I ask you to strengthen my faith, so that I may grow in love, in trust towards you. May my life be founded on your teaching and example. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.