Upon which Foundation is Your Life?
Is it on a rock? Or is it on Sand? Does your life produce good fruits or bad ones? How can we know a good foundation on which to build our lives? How can we be able to produce good fruits? The Gospel today as well as first reading answers these questions.
Our practical and daily experiences tell us that when one builds a house upon a strong foundation, that house will last longer than the one who builds on a weak foundation. Experience further tells us that the foundation is very fundamental in a house, the whole house depends on it. When a foundation is solid, there is little concern during storms at any time for the owner knows he has a strong foundation. This is the same in our lives, especially our spiritual life. When it’s strong, you can give your attention to many other aspects of your life. When it’s weak, you will continually be doing damage control as you seek to keep your life from falling apart. Jesus tells us that the one who hears his word and puts it in practice is like the one who builds his house upon the rock, a strong foundation and such a person will have no worries and will lack nothing. When our lives are built on the word of Jesus, we are filled with his Spirit, and it is this Spirit which will enable us to bear good fruits.
Building our lives upon a solid foundation means building our lives upon a rock, and this rock is Jesus. This is done, firstly, by relying on Jesus' words, depending solely on him either in times of joy and sadness and in times of great need. Secondly, it is by deep faith grounded in prayer. Our foundation is our daily communication with Christ. In that prayer, Jesus Himself becomes the foundation for 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.
Thirdly, living virtuously is akin to building our lives on a solid foundation. When we “dig deeply” and lay this strong foundation by infusing our thoughts and actions with virtue, we fortify ourselves against temptation so we cannot be shaken. According to the Catechism, “A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions” (CCC 1803). Such a person is built on a strong foundation.
In contrast, building our lives on a weak foundation is depending on ourselves and perhaps on the world and its pleasures. 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. Those who attempt this approach are fools who learn the hard way that they cannot endure any storm life throws at them. When we think we know everything and don't need Jesus in our lives and his Spirit, we are building our lives on a weak foundation and the worldly storms will easily take us away which ends up to death both physical and spiritual. Where have you built your life?
How, then, do we know if we are built on a strong foundation? Our character will reveal upon which foundation our lives are built. When our lives are in Jesus, we shall have a sound mind and hence produce good fruits through our actions and words. In contrast, it is very hard if not impossible to produce good fruits if we are on a weak foundation and solely depend on ourselves and on what the world deceives us with. They will know us from our fruits.
A good tree produces good fruit and vice versa. Our characters don't affect us alone but also others, for instance, a parent who is a thief will most probably bear a thief or train his child to become a thief and a God-fearing parent will most probably bear and train a God-fearing child. Therefore, before you complain of the behaviours of your child, examine yours first.
Reflect today on how well your life is built upon a strong foundation, Jesus. Reflect also on which kind of fruits do you produce in your life and then on how faithful you are to Jesus by not living a double life. Ask the Spirit of the Lord to help discern the will of God and do it in your life.
Let us Pray.
Lord Jesus, you are the sure foundation and source of life and strength for us. Give me wisdom and strength to live according to your truth and to reject every false way. May I be a doer of your word and not a hearer only.
Be blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment