Today's readings give us a simple but profound truth: you are what you do. The Gospel asks us to examine the very Foundation of our liv...
Today's readings give us a simple but profound truth: you are what you do. The Gospel asks us to examine the very Foundation of our lives. Are we building on rock or on sand? A flood will come, a storm will rage, a temptation will test us. What will we have to stand on? The man who hears the word of God and does it is the one building on the rock. This is a crucial lesson. Our faith must be a verb, not just a noun. It must be an action.
This action is revealed in the Fruit we bear. A good tree produces good fruit. What kind of fruit are we producing in our lives? Is it the fruit of love, joy, peace, and patience? Or is it the bitter fruit of anger, selfishness, and indifference? St. John Chrysostom, whom we honor today, was called "golden-mouthed" because of the beautiful fruit he bore with his words. His homilies, filled with wisdom and truth, flowed from a heart rooted in Christ. Our own words and actions are the fruit we bear.
Finally, this is all a matter of Faithfulness. Paul tells us that Christ came to save sinners, and he, the "foremost" of them, was saved. He praises God's patience and faithfulness. Our task is to be faithful in return. To be faithful to our calling, to be faithful to the Word, and to be faithful in producing good fruit. Faithfulness means building our house day by day, word by word, deed by deed, on the solid rock that is Jesus Christ.
So let us go forth today and examine our foundations. Let us pray for the grace to bear good fruit. And let us resolve to live a life of unwavering faithfulness to the One who has been so patient and merciful with us. Amen.
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