Thursday 3 December

(Memorial) St Francis Xavier • Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Jesus tells a parable about two men who built their houses on different foundations. One chose sand, the other rock. Not surprisingly the house built on sand collapsed, whereas the one on rock withstood the attack of the elements.

What is the meaning of the parable? What is its significance and why does it occur at the end of the Sermon on the Mount? The bottom line and the reason why Jesus taught this parable was to highlight how important it is to put his teaching into practice. Those who practise Jesus’ teaching build a solid and sure foundation for their lives. Those who don’t, stumble, fall and ultimately crash. Jesus is referring to his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, which he is now concluding. Living out this teaching is at the heart of our vocation.

The Sermon on the Mount is a kind of blueprint on how to live the Christian life. It contains a mine of moral and spiritual information. As we read or listen to it, we are struck by its genius and its clarity and wisdom – no surprise when we remember that the One who gave us this teaching is God himself. But it is not enough merely to hear Jesus’ teaching, we need to incorporate it into our lives. When asked by a youngster how he could master the piano, the Polish composer Paderewski replied, ‘The only way to become master of any skill is first to become its slave. And that takes practice, practice, practice.’ This is true of every skill or discipline we want to accomplish in our lives.

The Sermon on the Mount provides the perfect framework for us to examine our lives and place ourselves under the spotlight of the Holy Spirit. Both it and the Beatitudes are truly amazing and awesome and in a very real way utterly overwhelming. On reading and reflecting on them we can only cry out, ‘Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?’ (Rom. 7:24). Living the Sermon on the Mount is indeed beyond us but, sustained by the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, we tread the path of holiness, step by step, day by day.

‘Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to strive day by day to live in the Spirit and to aspire to the life you call me to: participation in the divine nature, eternal life and rest in God.’

Isaiah 26:1-6 • Psalm 117(118):1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27
Matthew 7:21, 24-27

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