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<\/a><\/p>\nIt is a beautiful statement about what it takes for a commitment to last \u2014 whether it\u2019s a commitment to another person, to a cause, or to a faith.<\/p>\n
This gospel passage asks us to literally consider what we use as the basis for living, the foundation.\u00a0\u00a0 Look under the surface, it tells us.\u00a0 Go deep.\u00a0 Consider what lies beneath.\u00a0 And make sure the foundation is strong.<\/p>\n
Because there will be storms.<\/p>\n
Every marriage has them.\u00a0 Every life has them.\u00a0 But Christ offers us a way to endure the wind and the rain, and stay firm in the face of the sleet and the snow.<\/p>\n
Over the last several weeks, we\u2019ve been hearing every Sunday excerpts from the Sermon on the Mount.\u00a0 We were reintroduced to the Beatitudes \u2013 all the things that can make us \u201cblessed.\u201d We were challenged once again by the bold idea to \u201clove your enemies and pray for your persecutors.\u201d\u00a0 And just last week, we were reminded to not worry about what tomorrow will bring, but to \u201cseek first the kingdom of God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, in today\u2019s reading, Christ sums it all up.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all there.<\/p>\n
But what goes unmentioned here is how difficult it is.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t easy to build on rock.\u00a0 It\u2019s so much easier to build on sand.<\/p>\n
When I was 12, my parents moved to a new house on a couple of acres, in Maryland.\u00a0 We had horses, and we needed to fence in part of the land.\u00a0 Some of it was done by hand: there were these shovels, like clamshells, that we used to dig into the ground for the fence posts.\u00a0 And one of the guys who was digging the holes asked me to give it a try.<\/p>\n
Well, as you can probably tell, from looking at me now, I\u2019m exactly the kind of person you want to do heavy manual labor.<\/p>\n
I tried it a couple times, and they almost had to carry me out on a stretcher.<\/p>\n
My arms ached for the rest of the week.<\/p>\n
To put in a fence, and do it right, you have to dig deep into the earth, about three feet, through the toughest rock, and the hardest earth.<\/p>\n
A couple years ago, I drove past that house where I grew up, and the fence was still standing.\u00a0 It had withstood 40 winters, and 40 springs, and 40 summers and falls \u2013 and it was still there.<\/p>\n
Putting up that fence was hard work.\u00a0 But it paid off.<\/p>\n
Living the gospel is hard work.\u00a0\u00a0 Following the teachings of Christ is hard work.<\/p>\n
But it pays off.<\/p>\n
Think back on what we have heard these last few weeks, what Jesus has asked us to do.\u00a0 Be poor in spirit, merciful, a peacemaker.\u00a0 Be perfect, and holy, like your heavenly Father.\u00a0 Love your enemies.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry about tomorrow. Trust in God to take care of you.<\/p>\n
These teaching are solid, and unflinching, and difficult.<\/p>\n
These teachings are not sand.<\/p>\n
They are rock.<\/p>\n
And just as it\u2019s hard to dig into rock, it\u2019s not easy to burrow into these lessons.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s so much easier to NOT try to be perfect and holy, to be just good enough to get by.\u00a0 It\u2019s easier to just settle for sand.<\/p>\n
But if we don\u2019t live out the gospel message, and hold fast to our faith, the rock of our lives, what will happen when storms come?<\/p>\n
What will happen when the company decides to downsize, and you find yourself laid off?\u00a0 What will happen when the x-ray shows a suspicious spot?\u00a0 What will happen when you get the call late at night with news you never expected?<\/p>\n
If we don\u2019t have that secure foundation in faith, what will any of us do when we find that the forecast for our life has changed \u2013 that a devastating storm is about to hit?<\/p>\n
We might give in to despair, or cynicism, or spite.\u00a0 We might surrender to fear or doubt.<\/p>\n
Or, if we have built our lives on the rock of Christ, we might find comfort in trusting in God\u2019s will, and knowing that He will never abandon us, even in the most severe of storms.<\/p>\n
As we prepare to move into Lent this week, and a season of deep prayer and penitence, look back on the lessons we\u2019ve been given.\u00a0 Re-read the gospels from the last few weeks.\u00a0 Dip into Matthew\u2019s gospel and pray over the entire Sermon on the Mount.\u00a0 There you will find a foundation to which all of us can cling during times of trouble, and times of testing.<\/p>\n
Let the rains fall and the wind howl.<\/p>\n
With the gospel beneath us, and God beside us, we will be safe and secure.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three years ago, my in-laws celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.\u00a0 They decided to have a special mass for family and friends, to mark the occasion, and they asked me to pick the readings and preach.\u00a0 And I selected this gospel reading that we just heard, about building a house on rock. It is a beautiful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[11175],"class_list":["post-2163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homilies","tag-homilies"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n