Sacred Scripture
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, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” (Matthew 7:21, 24-27)
Reflection
Remember the maxim: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” That can also be applied to our faith life and re-phrased as: “The proof of our faith is in the things that we do.” It’s not in the things that we say.
No matter how many times we go to church to worship God, it’s superficial unless it is accompanied by actions that confirm our words. A working faith is something that bears witness with Jesus long after we are through with our church worship.
How do we create a foundation of working faith to stand strong in times of turbulence? How can we supply this foundation for those whose homes are sinking in the sand?
Small gestures can build strong foundations—whether it be calling a friend who needs additional support, singing an extra bedtime song to your child, or praying for the loneliest person in our community.
If we make Jesus and His Word the foundation of our lives, then nothing can shake us or keep us from God’s love and protection. Because, you see, the love we are looking for has already been given to us, it has already been poured into us. And we can experience that love if we live our true-self.
Our deep faith in God will always see us through life’s adversities and difficulties. No matter how strong the calamities of life, we will remain with God and we will not lose our hope because our faith in anchored on a solid rock that is Jesus.
Prayer of The Day
Lord our God, In the storms and tensions of our times, may our faith never waver, but give us the courage to live as we believe, consistently and radically so that with Your Son we may do Your will and live in Your love now and forever.
Daily Note
Today is the feast day of Saint Nicholas. He is the patron saint of Russia and Greece and is also the patron saint of children and newlyweds. Catholics in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands developed the custom of giving presents in his name on today, his feast day. Catholics in those countries still put out their shoes for sacks of gold coins, candies, or small gifts. Eventually, this practice of giving gifts on St. Nicholas Day grew into our contemporary American custom of giving gifts on Christmas Day.
