Don't Be A Fool

Step #1: Lectio / Read

Matthew 7:21-29

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?
Did we not drive out demons in your name?
Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’
Then I will declare to them solemnly,
‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’

“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.”

When Jesus finished these words,
the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority,
and not as their scribes.

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Step #2: Meditatio / Meditate

Don’t be a fool. Be a wise man. The words from our Lord here are simple: those who built their house on the rock were the ones who endured, and those who built their house on sand did not. 

We should think of our lives as these houses. When we build our lives on the Lord, and his will for our lives is revealed through prayer, scripture, and the laws of the Church, we are creating a sturdy foundation. When we build elsewhere—whether it be on worldly ambition, other people, our desires, basically anything other than God—we are building our foundation on sand. 

Notice that these builders built their house when the sun was shining, when all was going well. It was when the turbulent times came that the strength of their houses really was apparent, not while they were building it. 
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Sand can be tricky: sometimes it looks sturdy. We may be tempted to think it is strong enough to hold weight. And it may be, for a while. But there will come a day when heavy rain will fall, and the strong winds will blow, and that house will be destroyed. Easily. It will almost collapse on its own; not much is needed to knock it down. 

Prepare now. When dark days come, you’ll already know how to lean on the Lord. You’ll have a solid substructure that will be able to hold everything else in your life up. A footing that will be able to endure the rain and each gust of wind. It will be hard to take down. 

Listen to the words of the Lord here. Don’t be a fool: Build your house on rock, like the wise man. 

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Step #3: Oratio / Pray

"Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."

Lord, in what ways is my life built on sand? 

Lord, in what ways in my life built on rock? 
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Which areas of my life are you calling me to change and build on rock today?

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Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate

Build your house on rock, like the wise man. 
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“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock"

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For the Rest Of Your Day...

Build your house on rock. Focus on what it will take to make that a reality today. 

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Today's prayer was prepared by Andrea Scott.