Advent brings a time to take a deep breath, a time to anticipate. But that anticipation also can have us looking back. How did we get to this place? And where does this path lead me?

The reading from Isaiah and the Gospel today each talks about foundations.  In the reading, we have a strong city with walls to protect us and gates that open to a nation that is just. In the Gospel, the parable warns against building a house on sand because it will be buffeted by rain, floods and winds until it collapses.  Jesus is telling us that we have to listen to his words. But it’s not enough just to listen, we have to act on them. We have to build that foundation of our faith.

I don’t think that job of building the foundation is one job that is ever done. Our foundation is so vital that we always have to make sure it is on that rock and not the sandy, shifting ground. We are not always wise. We sometimes take the easy way out. We don’t do the right thing, which sometimes can be the more difficult thing.  That contributes to a shaky faith foundation.  Once we’ve built that good framework on rock, on the solid ground of following the words of Jesus, the way forward becomes more clear.  We want to continue to build on that solid foundation.  Building is acting. It’s more than just listening to the Gospel; it is living out the Gospel in our everyday lives by seeing God in all things.

I pray that today is a day where I work to build that solid foundation by listening to the Gospel. I pray that I see the face of God in all those I encounter today.