Reflection for Saturday 23rd Week in Ordinary

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

Today's WORD of GOD

Luke 6:49

But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

Founded on Rock

The Image of “Rock” has Various Meanings in the Bible, but They All Converge on Strength, Consistency, Fidelity, & Continuity. The Rock Struck by Moses’ Rod Produced Sweet Water in the Desert (Num. 20: 11).

St Paul Imagines that Rock Following the Israelites through the Desert … & that was CHRIST! (1 Cor. 10: 4)

In Isaiah the Rock Supports the Jerusalem Temple where GOD Dwells Among HIS People (28: 16).

In Psalm 95 GOD HIMSELF is Acclaimed as the Rock of Salvation.  In Matthew Peter is the Rock or Foundation of the CHURCH

(Mt. 16: 18).

If We try to Stitch These Passages into a Pattern, Rock Indicates the Steady Assurance of GOD'S Grace, the Presence of GOD in Temple or CHURCH, the Human Representatives of GOD as Rock.

Patience Builds on a Rock Like This. Impatient & Selfish People Build on Sand & so are Not Dependable. They React Impulsively, with Little Regard for the Feelings of Others. Anger Takes Control of Them before They can Think. Rash Words are Spoken that Cannot Easily be Forgotten. In Hard Times, This Kind of Character is Not Dependable. “When the Torrent Rushed on It, It Immediately Fell in & was Destroyed.” May the LORD, Our Living Rock, be Our Guide!


The Invisible Foundation

From the Outside, the 2 Houses in Today’s Parable Looked the Same. But They were Fundamentally Different, because Their Foundations were Different. One was Built on Sand & the Other on Rock. Their Foundations were Not Visible on the Surface. We Need to Get the Foundations of Our Lives Right, what’s Below the Surface of Daily Living. Just as the Houses in the Parable had to Withstand Severe Flooding, the Equivalent in Our Lives can be Critical Situations. We can be Hit with All Kinds of Difficulties, whether Relating to Our Health, Our Relationships, Our Work. Our Ability to Deal with Those Crisis Situations will Depend on Our Moral & Spiritual Foundations.

JESUS Presents HIMSELF as the Solid Foundation to Build On. Listening to HIS Words & Acting on Them, Ensures that Our Lives are Built on Rock, & that We can Face the Storms of Life when They Arise. If We Build on the LORD, We can Hold on when We are Tested. HE Needs Us to Actively Choose HIM as the Foundation of Our Lives. If We are to Know the Security which only HE can Give Us, We Need to Entrust Ourselves to HIM, & Say with Mary his Mother & Ours, “Let It be to Me According to Your Word.”

Good Morning

GOD Bless Us

Lovely day and Happy Weekend