Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Isaiah 26:1-6; Matthew 7:21.24-27)
Today’s gospel passage may serve as an introduction to Matthew. His gospel will be read on most Sundays for the next year. In Matthew Jesus is the
consummate teacher. From the mountaintop he tells his disciples how to live the really good (i.e., moral) life with the kingdom of heaven as its goal.
During the course of the gospel Jesus will give four other discourses expounding
on the life of discipleship.
The passage today comes at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. It presents a rainstorm as a metaphor for
judgment. To heed Jesus is
to build one’s house on rock so that one’s survives intact the rainstorm-judgment. On the other hand, to ignore Jesus’ instruction is
to build one’s house on sand from which judgment will dislodge it.
Advent looks forward to the coming of Jesus to judge the
world. To prepare for him is to put into
practice his teaching. To the extent
that it is done, we will be judged as worthy of God’s kingdom, our heaven.
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