“Being secure and stable with ‘Jesus, the Firm Foundation!'”

(Based on 1 Tim 1:15-17 and Lk 6:43-49 – Saturday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1)

In 1174, an Italian architect Bonnano Pisano began work on a bell tower for the Cathedral of the city of Pisa.

The tower was to be around 185 feet tall.

There was just one “little” problem:

The builders quickly discovered that the soil was much softer than they had anticipated…

And soon the whole structure had begun to tilt … and it continued to tilt … until finally the realized that nothing could be done to make the Leaning Tower of Pisa straight again!

The tower has stood for over 800 years but there are still problems!

What was the problem?

Was it bad design? Poor workmanship? An inferior grade of materials? No!!
The problem was what was underneath.

The sandy soil on which the city of Pisa was built was must not stable enough to support a monument of this size.

The problems all stem from a faulty foundation.

And the same holds good for our lives too…

Many problems in life emerge because of a very poor and shaky foundation…

One fails to do well in academic studies if one has a poor foundation in the fundamentals of the subject.

One fails to be emotionally stable if one has a poor foundation of not having received affection in the early years.

One fails to achieve expertise in a skill or an art if one has a poor foundation in the essentials and the basics.

The loftier the building, the deeper must the foundation be laid!

This is a message and an exhortation that is delivered by Jesus in today’s Gospel reading.

Jesus speaks of the Parable of the Two Foundations: One on sand; the other on the rock.

The one who has built one’s life on a sandy foundation fails to stand firm in the storms of life
The one who has built one’s life on a rock foundation remains strong and stable in the storms of life.

The laying of every foundation requires a process of Excavation… a Digging!

Do we want to build a strong foundation?

Then we need to undergo the Procedure of Digging…

Can we dig deeper…

… into our lives and see what are the areas in which I need a healing and a touch of the Lord?

… into our minds and see what really are my motivations in life and what I really want in life?

… into our hearts and examine what are my desires and to what things I get attracted?

… into our relationships and check whether there is authenticity or are they just hollow?

… into our faith-lives and inspect whether my faith is based on a real experience or is it merely a peripheral occurrence?

This process of digging into the various areas of our life can be an experience of varied sorts…

We could have pain to dig out some of our evil tendencies and abandon them.

We could have uneasiness to dig out some of our luxurious likings and let go off them.

We could have agitation to dig out some of our unhealthy tendencies and discard them.

We could have discomfort to dig out some of our lazy inclinations in spiritual life and dispose them.

Perhaps some of us may we feel that we have already built up fine structures and can be proud to have a good career, a stable family life, a flourishing bank balance, an enjoyable lifestyle etc…

But the Lord invites us to check the Strength of each of these structures…
Is my Family Life able to withstand the storms of misunderstandings, constant quarrels and breakdowns?

Is my Spiritual Life able to withstand the storms of doubts, fears, discouragements and persecutions?

Is my Professional Life able to withstand the storms of failures, disappointments and collapses?

Is my Social Life able to withstand the storms of rejection, humiliation and indifferences?

We need the Lord Himself as the Firm Foundation of all the structures in our life!

With Him, all storms can be withstood and all winds and gales can be endured!

Let Jesus alone be the Firm Rock of our lives!

Let Jesus alone be the Grand Forte of our lives!

The Tower of Pisa continues to lean due to a faulty foundation!

Let our lives not “lean” like this tower with a “Faulty Foundation”…

Rather, let it be secure and stable with “Jesus, the Firm Foundation!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

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📖 Discovering the beauty of the Catholic Church through the Catechism
MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT – THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON – THE MORALITY OF THE PASSIONS

There are many passions.
The most fundamental passion is love, aroused by the attraction of the good.

Love causes a desire for the absent good and the hope of obtaining it; this movement finds completion in the pleasure and joy of the good possessed. (CCC # 1764)