Mt 7:24

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.

It is only in recent times that buildings are built on deep foundations, which means that even where the ground is soft or unstable, deep foundations can compensate for that. But in years gone by when people didn’t have mechanical diggers or pile-drivers to sink deep supports into the ground, they had to be very careful where they built their houses. If you’ve ever been to Italy on holiday, you have probably wondered why so many towns and villages are built on the tops of hills and mountains. Because there is solid rock on a mountain top, as well as being more secure from attack.

So Jesus is using an image from everyday experience to make the point that the spiritual life needs solid foundations. What are those foundations? Firstly, to listen, we need to hear the word of God before we can act on it. This means not reading into the Bible our own prejudices or looking for confirmation of what we already think and believe. To truly listen to the word of God is to be open to being challenged. We may have to change the way we live.

Some of the worst listeners to Jesus were the religious elite. Because they had a superior knowledge of the Bible, or so they thought, they proudly believed they had nothing to learn. When Jesus started quoting the Bible to them, they called him a blasphemer.

So listen, and then act - except that there is an intervening process that needs to take place first, something that Pope Francis frequently talks about, discernment. Having heard the word of God, we need to pray and ponder. Sometimes what Christ is saying may not be obvious. The idea that the Bible is always crystal clear is a pious fallacy. We need to have some knowledge of the context in which Jesus is speaking, his audience, and the issues in the mind of the evangelist. A simple commentary is a great help. You don’t have to be a scripture scholar - most of us aren’t - but what they have to say is a great help.

Finally, to act. Christianity is above all a practical religion. It’s about doing the will of God, about getting out there and ‘smelling the sheep’, as Pope Francis is fond of saying. So let’s build solid foundations for our spiritual lives by listening, discerning and acting.

A reflection written by Paul Graham O.S.A., St Joseph's Broomhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland

Follow the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.), Province of England and Scotland  

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