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| "St. Ambrose Polyptych" (detail) by Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1477 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Isaiah 26:1-6
Commentary on Is 26:1-6
This selection from the book of Isaiah is part of a longer psalm of thanksgiving (Isaiah 25:1-27:1). It celebrates the ultimate victory of God as if it had already taken place. The vision of a secure and indomitable fortress, protected by faith in God, is portrayed. That foundation of faith is like a rock which will endure forever. The passage also contains a warning, as the prophet sees cities not founded on that same rock being destroyed, trampled by the poor for whom God has special care.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a
R. (26a) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Commentary on Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a
Psalm 118 is a song of thanksgiving. In these strophes, praise is given to God who is our refuge and protection. The heavenly city is envisioned with “gates of justice” into which the faithful enter to receive mercy and salvation from God. It was used as a processional psalm by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem, anticipating the great temple of their faith.
CCC: Ps 118:26 559
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Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Commentary on Mt 7:21, 24-27
This is the final section of the first of five great discourses of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. In it, Jesus continues his attack on “false prophets” that began in verse 15. Here the Lord makes a distinction between saying and doing. The familiar metaphor of the “house built upon rock” refers to those who hear the word of the Lord from an authentic source and act upon it. The house built on sand is a metaphor for those who either are not taught authentically (by false prophets), or who do not act upon what they have been given.
CCC: Mt 7:21-27 1970; Mt 7:21 443, 1821, 2611, 2826
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Reflection:
We consider for a moment the analogy of the house built upon sand and the house built upon rock. When Jesus was teaching the disciples, his intent was to warn them that there were others around at the time who claimed to be teaching God’s word. They led people down false paths, like the Jews who taught that there was no resurrection. Think of it, what if they had followed one of those who stole the hope of the life Christ promised? Only when it was too late and they were on their death bed would they realize how bleak and empty those teachings had been. Truly, the foundations of those false teachings were built upon sand.
The same thing is going on today. How often do we hear the New Age philosophers proposing old arguments that they have tried to make new with different words. They spout the same rhetoric that has been proposed by atheists and hedonists from the earliest of the Greek philosophers. In the end, all of that talk comes from arrogance and greed, misguided enthusiasm that, when challenged by the real world, crumbles like sand in water, washed away, unable to support even the weight of itself.
The unfortunate part of this situation is that these “false teachings” are so much easier to follow than Christianity. The words used to describe them seem so warm and inviting, and the way they attack orthodox teaching makes the path of Christ out to be cruel and ignorant. They use words like “celebrating diversity” to describe their cause, and describe those whose moral compass points differently as “haters.” At the base of these attacks is the desire to follow only their baser instincts, ignoring the discipline of faith.
For us, we place our faith in Jesus, who gives us strength to endure all that life might throw at us. While the storms of life might not shake our foundation of faith, those storms are relentless. Like any structure, the only way to keep the faith, which is our foundation, strong is through constant maintenance. Even the great pyramids may erode in the face of constant wind and sand.
In that regard, we may think of this Advent season as “Winter Maintenance” (Spring Maintenance for our brothers and sisters in the Southern Hemisphere). Let us take this season of anticipation to renew our foundation through prayer, strengthen it with sacramental grace, and redecorate it with acts of charity. When the Lord comes, may he find that foundation strong, without cracks, ready to bear up through an eternal life which he promised.
Pax
[1] The picture is "St. Ambrose Polyptych" (detail) by Bartolomeo Vivarini, 1477
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