December 4, Thursday Advent Weekday

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.--Psalm 118:26

Mass readings: Isaiah 26:1-6 / Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Solid Ground

T.S. Eliot's poem Ash Wednesday depicts the struggle of the human soul twisted between the attractions of this world and the desire for spiritual discipline. The poem calls for the purification of all physical desires and a transformation into something divine and holy. The poet's deep desire to forget himself and to obey God's will leads us to muse on today's Gospel which challenges us to give up our selfish motives that oppose to the teachings of Jesus. (Give up, for example, class divisions, worldly values, the love of pleasure, and so on.)

Through the parable of the two builders Jesus tells us the person who built his house on the rock is firmly grounded in God and is His authentic disciple. Not so those who do lip service to claim the status of discipleship.

Prayer: Lord, help me speak Your words through my deeds louder than my lips.