Reflection: Luke 6:43-40

Saturday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time - Luke 6:43-40 

  

In this Gospel, Jesus is talking with his disciples about bearing fruit. He tells them: “Good trees do not bear rotten fruit. Neither does a rotten tree bear good fruit.” Jesus continues on, saying: “People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles.”

Jesus then says to his disciples: “Why do you call me ‘Lord’ but do not do what I command?” He then tells his disciples and us what the individual is like who listens to his words and acts on them. Jesus likens this person to an individual who is building a house.

Naturally, the first step is to create a solid foundation for the house. This would be done by digging deeply into the earth and then laying the foundation on solid rock. Then when floods come, the house would not be shaken because it had such a strong and solid foundation. On the other hand, if a house is built on sand or ground that was not solid, when the river flooded, the house would not be able to withstand the assault. The house would collapse and it would be destroyed.

Today’s Gospel is an invitation to us from Jesus. He invites us to closely examine our “inner house.” As we do so, we might ask: is my inner foundation strong? Has there been any erosion of my inner foundation? Do I strive to keep my inner foundation solid and secure?

Today and every day: Be mindful! Be alert! Erosion typically begins in small and imperceptible ways. If we don’t regularly monitor our inner foundation, one day we may wake up and find that we are dealing with a terrible inner flood, or that we have been washed downstream!