We live in turbulent times. There is much transition and many sense that historic events are taking place before our eyes.
Things we thought were solid and secure are shifting and changing.
We seem to be dancing on quicksand.
As a result of this transition and change people are bewildered, confused, discontented, angry and afraid.
When times are stormy–whether it is in our personal life, in our workplace, our family, our community or our nation–people turn again to look for a rock.
Where’s your rock? Do you have one or have you built your house on the sand?
Did you build on your bank account, your retirement plan, your investments, your promotion, your investment properties? Whoops. That was sand.
Did you build on your political party, your candidate, your political philosophy or your ideology,? Whoops. That was sand.
Did you build on your patriotism, your love of country, your conviction that God has bless and will always bless America? Sand. Not Rock.
Did you build on your good works, your pro life stance, your work with the poor, your efforts to make the world a better place? All that was good, but it was not the rock.
Did you build on your liturgical purity, your commitment to proper reverence at Mass, your devotion to good music, fine architecture and all that is wonderful about Catholic worship? That is wonderful and good, but it’s not the Rock.
Did you build on your family, your friends, the love of your spouse, your good relationships and human love? That is good, but it is not the Rock.
Did you build on your parish community, the warmth of your worship, the good work you are doing in the community, your commitment to justice and peace, your love for the poor and your devotion to those who are marginalized? That is all good, but it is not the Rock.
Did you build on your Catholic faith believing that Peter was the Rock on which Christ founded the Church? That’s close, and that’s a rock, but it’s not THE Rock.
The Church teaches that Peter is only the Rock because of his profession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God. “Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and drawn by the Father, we believe in Jesus and confess: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’8 On the rock of this faith confessed by St. Peter, Christ built his Church.” CCC, para. 424
Yes, Peter is the Rock because he confessed that Jesus is the Rock and because he built his life on that solid Rock.
If you feel troubled and bewildered by world events or if your own life is going through stormy weather, check your foundations.
Stay close to the Rock. Stay close to Jesus and Mary. Stay close to Jesus in the Eucharist, in the Church, in the person of the poor, in the person of the priest, in the Scriptures and in the Sacraments.
Then when the storm comes your house will stand.
