Gospel: Matthew 7:21,24-27

 

In the day’s Readings, one a passage from the book of Isaiah  and another from the Gospel of Matthew, the Church speaks of Christian strength and weakness; of rock and sand. Indeed, a Christian is strong when he not only declares himself Christian, but when he lives his life as a Christian, when he puts the Christian doctrine, the Word of God, the Commandments, the Beatitudes, into practice. The key point is putting into practice.

 

However there are those who are Christians only in appearance: people who make themselves up as Christians, but in the moment of truth they have only makeup. That makeup is a temptation. Jesus himself says that it doesn’t suffice to simply repeat, “Lord! Lord!”, in order to enter his kingdom. We must do the Father’s will and put his Word into practice. This is the difference between a Christian in life and a Christian in appearance only.

 

After all it’s clear that the Lord is needed. A Christian in life is founded on rock. In fact, Paul clearly says so when he speaks about the water from the rock in the desert: the rock was Christ, the rock is Christ. Therefore, the only thing that counts is being founded on the person of Jesus, following Jesus, on the path of Jesus. 

 

Precisely in this season of Advent, let us ask the Lord that we may be firmly founded on the rock that is Him: He is our hope.