“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.
As the season of monsoon across the country begins in the month of June, it brings a lot of memory and nostalgia—from the academic year at school and college, which would always mean a fresh start. The happiness of sitting home with a hot cup of tea while I watched the rain pour and getting my feet wet and drenched in rain as I would try to get into my car or out of it.
It also brought memories of flooded roads and coastal area homes being washed away. Watching the people struggling to find a location elsewhere and hearing stories of friends and acquaintances about floods and how they managed to escape the same. I watch images of the floods and the affected families struggle to find meals and work hard to ensure they have restarted their lives… all over again!
Listening to God’s word is hard, just like building a home of one’s own! The cost of land, the labor to build a house, and the numerous rules and regulations to sort out the same. So many hoops and so much righteousness, it gets overwhelming. Saying and doing the right deed and being nice to everyone all the time can be utterly exhausting, and often at the end of the day I am just ready to head to my home and avoid everyone and be religious and prayerful, but alas, if it were this easy… Building our house on rock means placing a solid foundation on our faith, which does include Sunday masses and the daily rosary and prayers, and, most importantly, being nice to that nasty neighbor and helping the grumpy patient. Being less sarcastic at work when people test one’s patience and trying very hard to not bend rules, especially when traveling. And the list goes on…
For many of us, it’s a habit to bite our lip when we want to say something and not turn away from the situation, but it takes a lot of meditation and prayer to ensure we do it. So one day at a time, brick by brick, stone by stone, we build this house on faith and good deeds.
Dear Lord,
Guide me to follow your commandments whenever I am in a dilemma about the right thing to do. Forgive my earthly urges and help me to be a better christian and human day.
AMEN
