Pope at Mass: We base our lives
on Christ, not on appearances
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| Pope Francis preaches at Mass on Tursday (Vatican Media) |
In his homily at Mass in the Casa Santa Marta on Thursday,
Pope Francis reminds us that our lives are built upon the “eternal Rock”, who
is the Lord, and in Him we find happiness.
By Vatican News
Taking his cue from the Gospel at Mass on Thursday (Mt
7:21), Pope Francis urged Christians to sink the foundations of their lives
into Christ, rather than relying on the shifting sands of appearances.
In the Gospel, Jesus compares the wise person who built his
house on rock with the fool who built his house on sand. Those who listen to
the words of the Lord are wise, while those who refuse to do so live like fools
and base everything on appearances, the Pope said.
The Lord is the eternal Rock
Pope Francis said these two contrasting attitudes regard our
hopes and dreams, adding that we need God’s grace to discern where we sink our
foundations.
“The Rock. That’s what the Lord is. Those who entrust
themselves to the Lord will always remain safe, because their foundations are
sunk into the Rock. That’s what Jesus says in the Gospel. He speaks about a
wise man who built his house on rock, that is, on trust in the Lord and on
serious things. And this trust is a noble thing, because the foundation of this
building of our lives is sure and strong.”
Appearances disappear
The wise man, continued the Pope, built on the rock, while
the fool chose “the shifting sands” and is blown away by winds and rain.
“Even in our own lives it can happen, when my foundations
are not strong. The storm comes – and we all have storms in our lives, all of
us – and we are unable to stand firm. Many say: ‘No, I’ll change my life.’ They
think making life changes is like putting on makeup. Changing my life requires
changing the foundations of my life, that is, finding the Rock that is Christ.
‘I would like to renovate this building because it’s extremely ugly, so I would
like to make it a little more beautiful and strengthen the foundation.’ But if
all I do is put on makeup, then things won’t go far; it will fall. Christian
life falls when based on appearances.”
Discern between rock and sand
Jesus, said Pope Francis, is the only sure foundation, while
appearances are of no assistance.
He gave the example of the confessional. Only those who
recognize they are sinners, weak, and in need of salvation, he said, show that
their life is built on rock, and that they believe and trust in Jesus as the
source of salvation.
So Pope Francis urged us to convert our lives to what does
not crumble and blow away.
“We cannot build our lives on passing things, on
appearances, on acting like everything is going fine. We go to the rock, where
our salvation awaits. And there we will all – each one of us – be happy.”
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