The eternal rock

Sisters and brothers in Christ, I love this. . . Isaiah wrote: "the LORD is an eternal Rock" . . . Jesus said: "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." The "gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against" the Church because she rests upon the eternal Rock - her Lord and her God.

A few days ago, I called a brother deacon of mine who recently lost his wife after a long illness. How he responded when he picked up the phone was nothing what I expected. He was so filled with joy! We had such a spirited conversation that ended with my praying over him on the phone. I reflected on our conversation after we hung up and I realized that his "foundation" was so strong because his faith was so deeply rooted in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that, while he mourned the loss of a beloved wife, he still experienced joy and peace. He trusted in God completely. He gave our Blessed Mother Mary thanks for being with him and his daughter. Today's Gospel reminded me of this interaction I had with my brother deacon because, he not only professed his faith with his lips, he lived out his faith in his actions. The Spirit of Christ who dwells in his heart shone forth so brightly, even during difficult times.

This is why Jesus told the disciples (and us) of the parable of the house built on a solid rock foundation. Christ wants us to stand on the firm foundation of THE eternal Rock - God - so that when we are faced with trials and tribulations in our lives, we not only can withstand the tempest but come out of it even stronger. I witnessed this in my brother deacon. Therefore, this Advent season, through prayer and reception of the Sacraments, let us ask God to be our firm foundation - THE eternal rock for us to stand on now and forever.

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Gospel of the Day

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.