11th September 2021
1 Timothy 1:15-17
Psalm 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5 and 6-7
Luke 6:43-49
SOLID FOUNDATION
The context of the Gospel of today is part of the most important sermon of Jesus known us the Sermon on the Plain (Lk 6:17-49) which is parallel to the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew (Mt 5:1-7:28). The focus of the sermon on the plain is the discipleship. Jesus wants to form and to instruct them to be good and fruitful disciples and to be effective in the mission.
The Gospel of today is the conclusion of this Sermon on the Plain in which Jesus warns his followers that practicing his words is an absolutely necessary condition for true discipleship. This is the solid foundation of one’s life.
We know that foundation is very important for any building to stand firm. Everything depends on the foundation. If the foundation is deep and well built, you can continue with your structure and your creativity to make your house big and beautiful. The same is true for our spiritual foundation. The Gospel passage of today reveals the importance of a solid foundation for life. Without good foundation, we are at risk at all times.
Spiritual life without foundation is like a tree without roots, it can be there standing but good for nothing, it cannot bear any fruit. Jesus gives us two types of spiritual foundations: weak and solid. The spiritual foundation we are called to have is one of deep faith grounded in prayer.
What does your foundation look like? Is it solid rock? Or is it sand?
To have a solid foundation, Christ must be the center of our existence and our daily lives. Our spiritual life can only be built on the firm foundation of knowing and responding to Jesus’ teaching. Such a structure will be able to withstand the challenges of time and the storms of adversity.
We have to know who really Jesus is in our life. We know him by being in constant union with Him through prayers and meditation of his Words. How often do we spend time to talk and to communicate with Jesus in our daily lives? Are we aware of his constant and permanent presence in our busy and challenging days?
If we entrust to Jesus our daily tasks and responsibilities, He will make them fruitful and rise them to become source for our holiness, satisfaction and eventually salvation. In doing so, Christ becomes everything for us in our lives. He becomes the foundation of our life. And when He is the foundation of our life, nothing can harm us and nothing can keep us from fulfilling our mission in life.
Jesus is warning us to avoid building our spiritual life on a weak foundation. A weak foundation is one that relies upon oneself as the source of stability and strength in times of hardship. But the truth is that none of us are strong enough to be our own foundation. And this leads us to a complete and a terrible destruction at the end of the day.
God is the only trustful foundation of our life because He is the source and the end of our existence. Let us strive to put God and his commandment at the centre of our spiritual life so that we may be able to stand firm up to the end of our life.
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