December 2, 2004
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Father John Doyle, LC

Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, ´Lord, Lord,´ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house, but it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house, and it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

Introductory Prayer:Lord Jesus I place myself before you. Assist me with your Holy Spirit to hear and put into practice God’s will so that I will build my future and this day with you. I am sure that I will be buffeted and blown about by trial, but I am also certain that you will be my sure support through it all.

Petition :Lord God, grant me great sincerity in my life so that I will really be what I profess to be: an authentic Christian.

1. Authentic Faith. A leader of the Protestant Reformation who believed in the sole necessity of faith for salvation once declared––for the sake of making a point––, “sin hard, but believe harder and you will be saved.” This is certainly not the same kind of faith that Our Lord is referring to in this parable. How can we claim to believe in Jesus and not obey his commandments? How can we call upon the name of the Lord and ask him to come into our heart and rule there while making a non-aggression pact with sin in our life? So if salvation comes through faith, then faith implies obedience. If your faith doesn’t affect the way you live, then it really isn’t faith at all but some inexpensive substitute.

2. Building on Rock. If we lived in a truly Christian society then maybe it would be easy to lay the foundations for our spiritual life. As it is however, we can expect that no matter how calm things may seem, hurricanes are always just around the corner. To weather the storm we need to be anchored fast. What are the foundations on which Christ invites us to build the edifice of our life? Obedience to Christ’s teaching is the key aspect here. As we listen and put Christ’s teaching into practice, we will engender virtue, until Christian living becomes like a second nature to us. Is there some aspect of Christ’s teaching that I don’t put into practice? How can I grow in virtue?

3. Building on Sand. Sadly enough inauthentic examples of Christian living abound throughout society. A number of good people claim to have found a way to make Christianity compatible with a comfortable “beach” life. They lay one beam after another on the shifting sands of their feelings, inclinations and the opinions of those around them. Such people are personally opposed to many evils but are unwilling to stand up against anyone of them. Little by little they allow sin to take root even while never completely abandoning external practices of piety. In the end however all the illusions of stability will be shaken and the true state of things will be revealed. Have I become too comfortable in living my Christian commitments? Am I afraid to stand up for the truth?

Dialogue with Christ: Lord Jesus I don’t want to be a Christian in name only. I want my faith to be a reality that affects my whole life and every aspect of it. Help me to lay the foundations that will make me a better follower of yours.

Resolution: I propose today to practice a virtue that I find difficult.

Want to help us maintain this free service? Make a tax-deductible donation online by clicking here.This link will take you to the online donation page of the Legion of Christ, but accessing it by this specific link will create a report letting us know your donation is for the daily meditation service from RegnumChristi.org.Thank you and God bless you.