Isaiah 26:1-6 / Matthew 7:21, 24-27
There will be a day of reckoning: He humbles those who are proud.
Opera star Lily Pons died in Dallas in 1976. During her life she was an international celebrity. She ate barbecue at the White House with President Eisenhower and received the French Legion of Honor from Charles de Gaulle. After her death, an auction was held to dispose of her estate. Commenting on it, Marilyn Schwartz of the Dallas Morning News writes: “A picture of her partying with actor Humphrey Bogart went for 50 cents. Chatty letters from Princess Grace and Prince Rainier went for five dollars, as did a note from Princess Elizabeth
thanking Pons for a wedding present.”
****
Do we realize that many things we prize now will be viewed
as worthless after our death? “Do not store up riches for yourselves here on
earth. . . . Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven.” Matthew
6:19-20
***
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.
***
"Not everyone will enter it. "
A cartoon shows Linus building sand castles on a beach. Soon
a whole city of castles covers the beach. Then a violent rainstorm breaks from
the sky and washes the entire city of castles away. Linus looks on in total
disbelief. After his experience with the sand castles and the rainstorm, Linus
would have no trouble understanding Jesus' point in today's gospel. Listening
to God's word without putting it into practice is as useless as building sand
castles on a beach before a rainstorm.
****
Which part of God's word do we find most difficult to put
into practice?
Lord, help us not only to hear your word but also to keep
it.
Help us not only to profess our faith but also to practice
it.
Help us not only to love your Gospel but also to live it.
****
When we think about life, there are many lessons that we can
learn from it. For example, difficult roads always lead to beautiful
destinations, as when we are climbing up a mountain and when we get to the
summit we are rewarded with a beautiful vision and a sense of achievement. One
of the truths of life is that hard work will have its rewards. Building
something on rock is certainly not easy at all. Piling the foundations into the
rock is going to be very hard work. But the reward is that the building will be
stable and will stand firm.
Building something on sand can be easy but it will be risky.
That is what Jesus is telling us in today's gospel. But the example of building
something on rock and on sand is to bring in the point about how we listen to
the Word of God and act on it.
Following the teachings of Jesus and doing God's will is certainly difficult
and entails a lot of hard work of denying ourselves. But the reward will be
what we heard in the 1st reading: That day, this song will be sung in the land
of Judah: We have a strong city.
Facing the difficulties and challenges of our faith requires
a lot of hard work on our part but the reward will be that the foundations of
our faith will be firm. And God will guard us along the way as He sets walls
and rampart about us. When we build our lives on God our Rock and stand firm
with Him, He will stand firm with us. And Jesus promises us that we will not
fall. Let us trust in Him and continue to build on the Lord our Rock.
***
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 forever.
***
Saint Ambrose (c. 340-397)
Feast Day December 7
Have you ever been asked to do something you weren’t sure
you could do? This happened to Saint Ambrose.
The new bishop of Milan was to be elected by the people.
Ambrose, who was governor, attended the election for two reasons. He knew there
might be disagreements and felt responsible for keeping the peace. Since
Ambrose was preparing for Baptism, he was also interested in who would be
bishop. During the election, fighting broke out. No one could agree on who the
bishop should be. Ambrose stood and pleaded for peace in the assembly. During
his speech a voice cried out, “Ambrose for bishop!” Ambrose was shocked. The
crowd took up the cry, shouting, “Ambrose for bishop!” Ambrose begged them not
to elect him, but he could not silence them. Over the next several months, Ambrose
was baptized, ordained, and consecrated bishop.
Ambrose was well prepared for the office of bishop. He came
from a wealthy Roman family. His father was a chief officer in the Roman
military. Not only had Ambrose received the finest education in Rome, he had
been raised in a good Christian household. His sister became a nun. Ambrose had
followed in his father’s footsteps when he entered political life. In 370 he
became governor, with his headquarters in Milan, Italy.
Ambrose administered strict and fair justice. He was a
courageous leader. He was also strong in his Christian faith and prepared to be
baptized as an adult.
After he was elected bishop, Ambrose turned his attention
from political government to church government. Immediately he gave a share of his
family's money to the poor and encouraged others to do so. He simplified the
bishop’s household and freed the place of expensive finery. He took a firm
stand in controversial matters of Church and state. When conflicts arose with
the ruling family, Ambrose told the people, “The emperor is in the Church, not
above it.” Even the rulers must obey the laws of God.
On more than one occasion, Empress Justina sent soldiers to
force Ambrose to go along with her wishes. Ambrose had to defend his cathedral
against attack, but the people stood by their bishop, and the army had to back
down.
Later Emperor Theodosius, to get revenge for the murder of several officers, had a town of 7,000 people destroyed. Ambrose warned Theodosius that he would be excommunicated if he did not do public penance. People were astounded that Ambrose would do this. They were speechless when Theodosius knelt at Ambrose’s feet, humbly accepting forgiveness.
