Thursday of the First Week of Advent

“The House Upon the Rock and
The House Upon the Sand”
by William James Webb, c. 1860

Readings for Thursday of the First Week of Advent [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Isaiah 26:1-6
 
On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah:
“A strong city have we;
he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.
Open up the gates
to let in a nation that is just,
one that keeps faith.
A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;
in peace, for its trust in you.”
Trust in the Lord forever!
For the Lord is an eternal Rock.
He humbles those in high places,
and the lofty city he brings down;
He tumbles it to the ground,
levels it with the dust.
It is trampled underfoot by the needy,
by the footsteps of the poor.
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Commentary on Is 26:1-6
 
This selection from the book of Isaiah (The Song of Judah) is part of a longer canticle of thanksgiving (Isaiah 25:1-27:1). It celebrates the ultimate victory of God as if it had already taken place. The vision of a secure and indomitable fortress, protected by faith in God, is portrayed. That foundation of faith is like a rock which will endure forever. The passage also contains a warning, as the prophet sees cities not founded on that same rock being destroyed, trampled by the poor for whom God has special care.
 
“The thanksgiving song will be sung in the future.  This text resembles psalms of thanksgiving and praise in the book of Psalms, such as Psalms 117 and 118.  The song contrasts the security of a mighty city (v.1), presumably Jerusalem, and the downfall of a secure city (v.5; better ‘exalted city’), which is not identified and is likely to be symbolic of oppressive nations generally.” [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a
 
R. (26a) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Open to me the gates of justice;
I will enter them and give thanks to the Lord.
This gate is the Lord’s;
the just shall enter it.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

O Lord, grant salvation!
O Lord, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, and he has given us light.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a
 
Psalm 118 is a song of thanksgiving.  In these strophes, praise is given to God who is our refuge and protection.  The heavenly city is envisioned with “gates of justice” into which the faithful enter to receive mercy and salvation from God. It was used as a processional psalm by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem, anticipating the great temple of their faith.
 
CCC: Ps 118:26 559
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Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27
 
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
“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.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
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Commentary on Mt 7:21, 24-27

This is the final section of the first of five great discourses of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. In it, Jesus continues his attack on “false prophets” that began in verse 15. Here the Lord makes a distinction between saying and doing. “The one who does (ποιῶν, v. 21) the will of Jesus’ Father in heaven is identical with the tree that bears (ποιῶν, v. 17) beautiful fruit. The one who merely exclaims “Lord! Lord!” and does not accompany his clamor with deeds is like the thick-leaved tree that impresses from the distance with its bushiness but on closer inspection proves to be devoid of fruit.” [5]

The familiar metaphor of the “house built upon rock” refers to those who hear the word of the Lord from an authentic source and act upon it. The house built on sand is a metaphor for those who either are not taught authentically (by false prophets), or who do not act upon what they have been given. “The point is that religious confession is no substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus and the obligation to obey his Father’s will.” [6]
 
CCC: Mt 7:21-27 1970; Mt 7:21 443, 1821, 2611, 2826
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Reflection:
 
We consider for a moment the analogy of the house built upon sand and the house built upon rock.  When Jesus was teaching the disciples, his intent was to warn them that there were others around at the time who claimed to be teaching God’s word.  They led people down false paths, like the Jews who taught that there was no resurrection.  Think of it, what if they had followed one of those who stole the hope of the life Christ promised?  Only when it was too late and they were on their deathbed would they realize how bleak and empty those teachings had been.  Truly, the foundations of those false teachings were built upon sand.
 
The same thing is going on today.  How often do we hear the New Age philosophers proposing old arguments that they have tried to make new with different words.  They spout the same rhetoric that has been proposed by atheists and hedonists from the earliest of the Greek philosophers.  In the end, all of that talk comes from arrogance and greed, misguided enthusiasm that, when challenged by the real world, crumbles like sand in water, washed away, unable to support even the weight of itself.
 
The unfortunate part of this situation is that these “false teachings” are so much easier to follow than Christianity.  The words used to describe them seem so warm and inviting, and the way they attack orthodox teaching makes the path of Christ out to be cruel and ignorant.  They use words like “celebrating diversity” to describe their cause and describe those whose moral compass points differently as “haters.”  At the base of these attacks is the desire to follow only their baser instincts, ignoring the discipline of faith.
 
For us, we place our faith in Jesus, who gives us strength to endure all that life might throw at us.  While the storms of life might not shake our foundation of faith, those storms are relentless.  Like any structure, the only way to keep the faith, which is our foundation, strong is through constant maintenance.  Even the great pyramids may erode in the face of constant wind and sand.
 
In that regard, we may think of this Advent season as “winter maintenance” (spring maintenance for our brothers and sisters in the Southern Hemisphere).  Let us take this season of anticipation to renew our foundation through prayer, strengthen it with sacramental grace, and redecorate it with acts of charity.  When the Lord comes, may he find that foundation strong, without cracks, ready to bear up through an eternal life which he promised.
 
Pax
 

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[1] The picture is “The House Upon the Rock and The House Upon the Sand” by William James Webb, c. 1860.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Jewish Study Bible, © 2004 Oxford University Press, New York, NY, p. 833.
[5] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 310.
[6] The Gospel of Matthew, © 2010 Curtis Mitch and Edward Sri, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 121.