I am originally from Panama, and there is nothing more important for the economy of my country than the famous Panama Canal. To build the Canal, it was necessary to cut through the whole country, in order to create a waterway that would connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. When they started excavating, they realized that the terrain was predominantly made of solid rock. The rocks excavated for the building of the Canal were used to reclaim 500 acres on the Pacific Ocean to build the Balboa townsite, the Naos breakwater and the Gatun Damn. All of these structures are still standing today, more than a hundred years later. To be sure, there have been several tempests, dangerous rises in the level of the tides, hurricanes and other events that have threatened these structures, but they are still standing, because they were built on solid rock. I believe that this image clearly illustrates the message that we can get from today’s readings for our lives.
Foundation
In the first reading, the prophet Isiah invites the people of Israel to rely on the Lord, and not on themselves. He wants to reassure them in believing that the word of God is powerful and trustworthy and is a solid foundation for their lives. Indeed, he says that “the Lord is an eternal Rock.” The people of Israel would constantly doubt the Lord and, consequently, would rely on their own strength, and what was even worse, on the promises offered by false gods. Isiah invites them to “trust in the Lord forever,” because only in the Lord can they really find security and peace, as it is evident in their history.
Rock vs. Sand
Similarly, in the Gospel, the Lord shows how different it is to build our lives on rock than it is to build it on sand. To build our lives on rock means to live submitted to the Word of God. It is the only one that can allow us to experience the power of God over death. To build it on sand means to set as the foundation of our existence our own ideas, our own plans and the promises of happiness offered to us by this world. Neither ourselves nor this world have the capacity to deliver us from death.
Indeed, it is very interesting to see that the Lord never says that if we rely on Him the rain will not fall, or that the floods will not come, or that the wind will not blow. As long as we live in this world, we will be exposed to situations and events that will threaten us and put in danger our peace and our happiness.
The difference is that if we listen to His Word and trust Him, all these events can come. But! They will not destroy us, because we have a solid foundation, a rock, who is God Himself. The Lord, through His Word, transmits us the Spirit of Christ risen, able to help us withstand. And be victorious in the face of any situation of death. Instead, if we do not listen to His Word, these events will come and they will make our lives collapse. Our projections, our ideas, our ambitious plans, our resources and the resources that the world offers, are not enough to help us withstand the sufferings and the difficulties proper to our lives here on earth. Only God’s Word can help us through any existential rain, flood or wind.
Abandonment
I encourage all of us to see these readings of today as a call from God to abandon ourselves to Him. Further, to renounce to our own projections and plans of life, and to trust firmly in His Word. He is the only one who can sustain us through the tempests of our precarious lives here on Earth. God is the only one who, through His Word, can change our hearts, shaping it after His own heart. He is the only one rock upon which we can safely build the building of our lives. Let us listen then to His Word and let us not harden our hearts. In doing so, we will be able to experience constantly the unwavering presence of the Lord in our lives. And we will be able to share always in His peace and His love.
