“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” (Matthew 7:24-27).
When I was praying over the above Gospel reading from Matthew, I was reminded of St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians 3:28, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
It then occurred to me that if the foundation of who we are is built on the Word of God, and our relationship with him, then nothing in this world will shake us. The root of our identity is not our race, our social status, or gender. It is our identity in Christ and our relationship with Him that is the root of who we are. And, it is through that identity we are united as a people. If we recognize each and every human, including ourselves, as a precious, beautiful, creation of God, who Christ died and yearns for, then we cannot be destroyed or shaken. So much of who are changes and fluctuates each day: Our moods, physical appearance, energy levels, and interests change, but we who we are in Christ never changes. That stays the same.
Reflect: What does it mean to you to have a stable identity in Christ? How is having a solid identity in Christ helpful in your everyday life?
I love your Advent reflections! I feel more at peace after reading them. Thank you for writing them.
I’ve been meditating these past days about the purpose of belief in Jesus, and just keep asserting in my soul that Our Savior is the gate into the Kingdom of God.