“Everyone then who hears 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 beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.  And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”         

Matthew 7:24-27 (NRSV)

If our spiritual life is a house, we all have a foundation. What materials make up our foundation? Our upbringing, experiences in the Church, and past experiences of God all certainly have a part in our spiritual foundation. Thankfully, if our current foundation is more sandy than rocky, our God is a God of grace and He can help us rebuild on rock.

What is this rock? This rock is the One that Peter (whose name means rock) built the Church on. The rock is Jesus Christ, and, more specifically, is the depth of each person’s relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sadly, research shows that too many Catholics today do not have this personal relationship with God. (Weddell, Forming Intentional Disciples, p. 44)

Pope Saint John Paul II puts it this way in the Vatican newspaper:

“Sometimes even Catholics have lost or never had the chance to experience Christ personally: not Christ as a mere ‘paradigm’ or ‘value,’ but as the living Lord, ‘the way, and the truth, and the life’.”  

(L’Osservatore Romano, March 24, 1993, p.3.)

He also says,

“The task which awaits you – the new evangelization – demands that you present, with fresh enthusiasm and new methods, the eternal and unchanging content of heritage of the Christian faith. As you well know it is not a matter of merely passing on a doctrine, but rather of a personal and profound meeting with the Savior.”

(Commissioning Families, Neo-Catechumenal Way. 1991)

Is it true that many (or most) people in our Church today have sandy foundations? Is it true that we are all a part of the Body of Christ? If it is true, then we have many houses that are ready to collapse in today’s Church.

How do you fix these houses, these foundations our people are standing on? I believe that the most common solution over the past number of years has been to try to strengthen the walls and the roof. We teach theology and doctrine. Of course, these teachings are essential to our faith and when they are added to a sturdy foundation they make the house stronger and better able to withstand the storm. However, when thicker walls and roofs are added to a house with a weak foundation, we only increase the likelihood that it will collapse.

So, what is the solution? I believe it is a return to the most fundamental part of the Catholic and Christian faith.

Pope Francis says this:

“I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting Him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day…”

(Evangelii Gaudium, para. 3)

If daily encounter with Jesus Christ is the foundation of our personal and collective faith, then how do we return to this foundation? How do we come to the aid of every person, helping them open their hearts and let Jesus strengthen their foundation?

I certainly do not have all the answers, but there is one thing that has been nagging at me recently. It is the truth I see in words like this:

“Leaders know that it is not where we are trying to go that is the problem. Our teams can have great consensus about the goal. We spend all our time talking about the goal, but the goal is not the problem. The question we must ask is, ‘What are we willing to leave behind to get there?’”

(Jakes, Q&A With Bishop T.D. Jakes. With Steven Furtick.)

I believe our goal is clear, even if it is not well known yet. The goal for many of us is very similar to the vision that Archbishop Lucas has given in the Archdiocese of Omaha:

“One Church: encountering Jesus, equipping disciples, living mercy.”

Certainly we need to make this vision more clear in our parishes today! We also must develop a strategy to help us reach this vision. How? Though the question needs to be answered, it is not the question I wish to pose today. Instead, the question I have for us today is this:

What is God asking us to leave behind in order to reach our vision?

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, move our hearts. Draw us into deeper encounter with Jesus every day! Father God, help us to know that we are truly your beloved daughters and sons. Give us the answer to this and the other difficult questions that face us. Help us to trust in You more fully, surrendering each and every aspect of our lives to You.  Mother Mary, pray for us. Saints and Angels, protect us. Lord Jesus, may we always be open to the grace that You wish to pour into our souls!

Amen.