Reflection for December 4 Thursday of the First Week of Advent: Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Gospel: Matthew 7:21, 24-27

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. 

"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."

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Reflection:

Is Jesus truly the foundation of our lives?

When we choose Jesus as our foundation, nothing in this world can ultimately bring us down—not even the heaviest problem we will ever face. Storms will surely come, but when our lives are built on Him, we are not shaken beyond hope. This is the grace of having Jesus at the center of our lives: He is our impregnable rock, our refuge and fortress, always ready to protect, sustain, and defend us.

And yet, if we are honest, many of us allow worldliness to become our foundation. We unconsciously place our security in things that promise stability but cannot truly sustain us. So what happens when trials, disappointments, or losses come our way? We begin to crumble. We find ourselves overwhelmed by the dilemmas of this world—burdens that could have been carried more lightly had we rooted our lives in Christ.

When we build our lives on power, status, or money, we forget that these things do not last. Sooner or later, they fade, slip away, or fail us. And when they do, what remains? Too often, we are left broken, helpless, and empty—not because Jesus abandoned us, but because we slowly drifted away, choosing the world over Him.

Still, the Good News remains: Jesus continues to offer Himself to us. Even now, He invites us to make Him the true center of our lives—the gravitational force that orders our choices, our values, and our hopes. We need not be afraid to come to Him. He does not interrogate us about our sinful past. What matters to Him is our openness today, our willingness now, and our future with Him.

So let us pause and reflect: What or who is really the foundation of our lives? Are we building on what passes away, or are we ready to entrust everything to Jesus, the rock that will never fail us? – Marino J. Dasmarinas