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

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

The Architecture of Love 

Today’s readings are all about building. Isaiah speaks of God’s “strong city . . . with walls and ramparts to protect us,” and Jesus contrasts “the wise man who built his house on rock” to the “fool who built his house on sand.” How are we doing in the “building project” we call “life”? 

St. Nicholas offers us a blueprint. Following St. Paul’s admonition to be “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph 3:17), he built his whole life on love — showing this especially in the gifts he shared with the poor. In our culture, St. Nicholas has morphed into “Santa Claus,” and gift-giving gets mired in commercialism. But if our lives are built on love, our gifts can truly be sacraments of love, as together we construct a holy temple, “a dwelling place of God” (Eph 2: 22). 

Prayer: St. Nicholas, help me to root my life in love.