Memory of the Church

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Jesuit of the 16th century, missionary in India and Japan.

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Matthew 7,21.24-27

'It is not anyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. 'Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!'

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Jesus is about to conclude the sermon on the mountain and he compares those who hear and put in practice his words and those who merely hear them. Jesus clearly warns his listeners that those words are not just a moral exhortation, they are a "foundation", in the literal meaning of the term, that is, the new life of the disciple is founded on them. The Gospel is the truth, the substance, and the most solid reality to live on. We could say that in a world that is more and more fluid, at the mercy of individualistic feelings, the Gospel words are the true rock on which we can build our life, the life of the community and that of society. Jesus proposes two opposing images: "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock," while "everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand." The example continues: the rains come; the rivers flood; the wind blows down on both houses. Jesus is talking about the storms of life: the temptations that assault us; the difficulties that come our way; the problems that press on us; and so on. We could say that in the tempest of the pandemic and uncertainty for the future, the house built on rock - that is, a life marked by faithfulness to the Gospel and to love - stands firm, whereas the other house, built on sand, inevitably crumbles. But what is sand, if not that countless number of vices, faults, and instincts - all minimal - that fill our hearts and minds and often make our lives empty and banal? The Word of God is at the foundation: it makes the house stable and enlightens it so that it may be at the service of the Gospel and of all, especially the poor. Only if we know how to welcome the words of the Gospel with faith can we build our lives and those of our brothers and sisters on a stable foundation.