Built on Rock

In today’s readings (Found here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120320.cfm), the image of rock is used as a metaphor for the words of God. When I read them my mind went immediately to the image of a lighthouse. Strong and enduring, powerful and necessary. Jesus uses the image of the rock when He called Peter “the rock upon which I will build my church” and even used it I reference to His own body as “the cornerstone the builders rejected”.

We as His people are also charged with building and strengthening His kingdom here on earth as well and so we too become like rocks.

I see Jesus as the beacon of light in a world where darkness is all too prevalent, and his words are the rocks we must use to pave our own pathway to heaven every day, lest we not collapse as the house built on the sand but endure forever in Heaven with God.

- Patti Borowicz

Catholic=Universal

Today's readings are a beautiful reflection on the universality of the Church. In the first reading, from Isaiah, we hear that the Lord will provide for His people a feast of "rich foods and choice wines" on a mountain. We're also told that the Lord will wipe away all tears and remove the reproach of His people from the whole earth, pointing towards the Church's future inclusivity of Gentiles.

This leads us to today's Gospel from Matthew. We're all familiar with the feeding of the 5,000, but did you know that Jesus performed a SEPARATE feeding of 4,000? It's true! It's also today's Gospel. Jesus is healing people on a mountain near the Decapolis, a Gentile region.

The crowd is amazed at the signs He performs, and praise "the God of Israel." Matthew's inclusion of this term leads us to believe that the crowd were Gentiles, not Jews. It's a big deal that Jesus ministered to Gentiles! If you remember, Gentile converts in the early Church (specifically whether or not they must adhere to certain Jewish laws) were the reason for the Council of Jerusalem.

Jesus takes pity on the crowd, because they've been on the mountain for three days, and turns seven loaves of bread and a few fish into enough food for the whole crowd (with seven baskets left over).

Let us remember that our Church is universal, and let us work to include all peoples in it this Advent. May God bless you!

Be a Kid

Today's Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120120.cfm

Kids don’t worry. Adults worry.

Jesus tells us today that the Father hides Himself from those who put their trust in their education, position, status, competencies and success. These are the modern-day “wise and learned.” These folks are dependent on themselves. No wonder we often wonder why we don’t experience God or sense His presence; we have turned too inward and become too focused on ourselves.

Instead, the Father delights in revealing Himself to the “childlike” – those who know they are completely and totally dependent on God. To be a child in the spiritual sense means escaping this self-dependency which cripples the life of grace in the soul. Instead, to be a child means to be reliant, small, tranquil, open, precocious, curious and most of all – dependent.

A small child is entirely dependent on others for life and health and wellbeing. This is how we should be in the spiritual life as well. So this Advent, let’s focus on being kids again.