Hence the Lord says in the Gospel, “Whoever listens to these words of Mine and acts upon them, I will liken to a wise person who built a house on rock. The floods came, the winds blew and beat against that house, and it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock”.
Having given us these assurances, the Lord is waiting every day for us to respond by our deeds to His holy admonitions. And the days of this life are lengthened and a truce granted us for this very reason, that we may amend our evil ways. As the Apostle says, “Do you not know that God’s patience is inviting you to repent”? For the merciful Lord tells us, “I desire not the death of the sinner, but that the sinner should be converted and live”.
Christ is the rock of salvation. If previously we were told to dash our temptations upon Him, now we are reminded of the parable of the wise and foolish builders. We are to be wise builders, building upon the foundational stone that is Christ. This is something which each family should take to heart. All families are subject to floods and winds. I strongly believe that if the family is not founded on Christ, then it will with much difficulty get through these storms which visit us from time to time. What are these storms? They can be anything: a death in the family; a betrayal; health issues; financial issues;… And yet, for the family to build on rock, each one of us build our own interior life on that rock as well. As we put our own interior house in order we try to help those around us put theirs as well.
St. Benedict is constantly reminding us that God is a loving Father, calling us, His prodigal children, to return. He calls us every day; He does not want us lost. He is giving us time to repent, to realize that we are in a foreign land feeding swine. Are we using that time wisely?
Inclina aurem cordis tui 