The gospel talked of wise men who built their houses on rock. Those houses held on during a storm. It also talked of foolish men who built their houses on sand and those houses were destroyed when a storm passed them. Matthew is trying to tell us to build our lives on something that will last long. Build our lives on something that is definite and will not just crumble when put to the test. Money has changes forms and values. People, no matter how much we treasure them, have come and gone. God has showed us time and again through the people around us that He is always there. God has always helped us in our times of need. And despite the never ending changes that happen in life, God is one who never changes. He still remains and He is still our same omniscient and loving Creator.
The gospel teaches us to truly follow the Lord and His ways. We must know what to do and do what we must do. Knowing what to do and saying it is not enough. It is not enough to say that we believe and love the Lord when we are nonchalant about the people around us. We must show our love for the Lord through our actions. We must have faith and believe in Him and His ways.
This gospel reminded me of what I think is the most important lesson that I have learned this school year. I learned that faith is believing in something that is indefinite. With faith there will always be doubt. We have faith in God sometimes and doubt Him on other times. This cycle is something that will continue to happen and will have no end. Before, I thought that to truly have faith in God one must be almost a hundred percent sure of himself and his faith. This year I have learned to accept the moments of doubt in my life because they are vital. They are what keep my faith alive. Doubt is good because after every moment of it and whenever we overcome doubt, we learn to love God more and hopefully become better followers in the process.
We must be like the wise builders who built their homes on rock. We must build our lives and put our faith in something or someone that will be strong when times are difficult. We need to build our lives on God, the rock who will last forever. We must truly believe in Him and follow His ways. When we believe in God, it is expected that we doubt because it is what keeps our faith alive. Believe. Show God’s everlasting love through our actions and not just words.
[Shasta Grace D. Tiro]