When our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI visited us in April…
among the many great and valuable words of inspiration he offered to us…
he taught us all an indispensible lesson in authenticity.
Pope Benedict himself is a man of authenticity…
who does not try to be anyone else but the person God created him to be
who knows well who he is, and what God expects of him
whose entire life is lived in constant relationship to Jesus Christ.
By the words of his teachings and the witness of his life,
he urges and inspires us to be people of authenticity,
people who not only speak…but also live…the truth
people who are wise enough to build our lives on the solid foundation
of Jesus Christ and His Church.
Pope Benedict once wrote:
“To be wise means to know that the solidity of a house
depends on the choice of a foundation.
Do not be afraid to be wise, that is to say,
do not be afraid to build on the rock.”
This fear of establishing the whole of one’s life on the foundation of Christ
has gripped many people in our world today.
Today’s Gospel serves to spur us on to overcome that fear and build on the rock.
The choice is very clear.
There is no middle ground.
If we chose foolishly to build on sand,
failing to be anchored in the wisdom of Christ,
the temptation to worldly pleasure and the stress of daily living
will buffet us until we collapse and our lives become ruined.
The world builds on sand…on selfishness, commercialism, and …
and the suffering and debauchery displayed daily on the news
is sufficient proof that worldly values make a poor foundation.
If we chose wisely to build on rock,
to live every moment guided by the words and example of Christ…
though the sufferings and trials of human existence remain…
amid them all we shall stand firmly with the Lord.
The rock on which the true Christian builds is the words of Christ Himself:
spoken both in the Scriptures and through the Tradition of the Church.
Building on the rock means not only hearing the words of Jesus and His Church
and allowing them to drift through the empty space between our ears
but acting on them…making them the guiding principle of our lives.
Building on the rock means taking the words of Christ into our hearts and souls
and binding them to us as a seal of the new creations we have become.
Building on the rock consists not in simply saying we belong to the Lord
but in offering our hearts, souls, and bodies…every day…
in union with the will of our Heavenly Father.
As baptized Christians, we are consecrated as sons and daughters of God
and so there is for us a unique way of living
in which Jesus and the Church are our constant companions.
Building on the rock means conforming our lives to the life of the Church:
celebrating the feasts and season of the Church year in our homes
honoring the Saints of each day in our daily prayer
embracing the customs and traditions of the Church calendar.
Building on the rock means making Christ and the Church part of every day
and determining the course of our lives
based on the will of God and the wisdom of the Church.
As a priest, this is my life: to follow the will of God and to live the Church’s life.
This high calling is not limited to priests alone
but is the call of every baptized person.
For the one who builds on the rock of Christ, there is great freedom and peace.
Faced with a difficult situation, the Church prays with us.
Faced with suffering, Jesus carries our crosses with us.
Faced with a moral dilemma, the Church provides direction and answers.
Long ago as He did in the days of Moses…
the Lord sets before us this day a blessing and a curse.
The curse is a ruined life and the absence of God’s love…if we build on sand…
and give God only lip service and a second place in our lives.
The blessing is eternal life…if we build on the rock…
and allow our lives to be one with the life of Christ and His Church.
The choice is clear.
May we be always people of authenticity, who live the name we bear: Christian!
May we choose wisely to build on rock
and so inherit the blessings Christ promises us…both now and forever!
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