Limestone Faith

Today’s Gospel includes: “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.  And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”  The meaning is clear enough: a strong and abiding faith is like a rock on which we stand.   It holds up even under the most trying of circumstances such as poor health, and we rely on it to withstand the rains, floods, and winds that otherwise would wash or blow us away.  

For many of us the Advent season and then Christmas doesn’t bring joy but sadness, regret, and memories of those lost to us through death or a parting of the ways – love lost.   Nevertheless, with rock-hard faith in Christ, we rebound, we are reborn, and we begin the new year with hope to withstand the next storm whenever it comes.  Such is the miracle of the Christ-child and his effect on us.

But, is our faith rock-hard?   Is it more like sand?   I suggest it’s more like limestone that can erode over time and lose its shape and form due to rain and water flow that constantly runs over and around us.  That’s life: a flow of water in which we are immersed and must swim, sometimes with the current and sometimes against.   Again, it’s our life we experience causing us to examine and perhaps question our faith.  And, that’s perfectly normal.   

As we prepare for Christmas, let’s pray more and think more about what Jesus means to us.    Let’s read more about the beauty of our Catholic faith and appreciate the nuances and hidden meanings of our Gospel.  Let’s hear the words of Jesus and then act on them through acts of love and charity.   These are ways to shape and form our limestone-like faith into an image and likeness of Christ.

Deacon David Pierce