In today's first reading from Genesis 16 we see the disastrous consequences when we try to hurry along God's plans, or don't trust in him. For our Gospel reading, we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount.
"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." He then gives the reverse of that story.
Have you ever seen footage of a house collapsing? Perhaps it was swallowed up by a flood or fell down the side of mountain in a mudslide or was toppled by an earthquake. It is horrifying. Thus it will be for us if we hear the words of Jesus and ignore them or fail to act on them. Just like the collapsing houses, everything will be lost in an instant. But unlike those houses, there is something we can do about. Act on the words of Jesus.
Father, you give us the words of Jesus in Sacred Scripture at every Mass. Now that we have heard them, may we act on them daily. Amen.
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Yesterday, we read how God made a covenant with Abram – that he would have an heir. Today, we see how we can forget God’s promises and use the gift (curse?) of free-will when Abram decides to take matters in his own hands instead of believing God.
I recalled a Homily where the priest explained how all of the current problems in the Middle East originated in this Scripture. Christians descend from Abram through his son Isaac and Muslims descend from Abram and his son Ishmael who was born to his concubine Hagar.
Seems like nothing good ever comes from our disobedience to Him! Wonder if we will ever learn!