The harmony of both readings: In the first reading St. Paul calls us to flee idolatry because participation in the Eucharistic cup and bread openly joins us to Our Lord and to one another: “Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body.” The Gospel then reminds us that a good tree bears good fruit and that the person who hears Jesus’ words and puts them into practice, is like one who builds his house on a rock.
A cause and necessary effect
How then is the reception of the Eucharist shaping my life?
What is the effect in my life of being in communion with Our Lord and His body, given St. Paul’s message follows an admonishment to avoid idolatry, and the food sacrificed to idols?
Modernly, those of us reflecting on today’s readings are not probably sacrificing food to false gods, but are we possibly dining on the food of their altars?
Is success in career a god that I sacrifice to, rather than go to Mass on Sundays? Is hoarding money another god that I worship? Am I uncaring to help others because I judge them responsible for their predicaments?
The Gospels gives us the answer – we must produce good fruit to merit eternal participation and unity with His body. Doing good because we are Eucharistic Catholics is the visible measure that defines the amount of God’s grace we are accepting, as we drink from the Chalice of Salvation.
In short, Jesus teaches that a good tree bears good fruit and that the person who hears His words and puts them into practice is like one who builds his house on rock.
A simple plan for Salvation
Read and reflect on the Beatitudes. Put them into practice. They are the true foundation of our life in Christ, and as such, lead us to comprehend and put into practice all the Scriptures that we read and internalize.
If something other than Christ and His Gospel becomes our foundation, eventually the storms of life will expose its weakness. The Eucharist, however, is not only a motivator for loving God and others, it also calls us back to its Table when we sin.
Actions that speak
Jesus asks us not merely to hear His words but to act upon them.
What then is the actual foundation of my life, and what kind of fruit is my foundation producing?
If Christ is truly our foundation, then our lives should increasingly reveal His presence to others. Fr. Peter Scholtes, a Catholic priest from Chicago in 1966, once penned this truth in a hymn, ”…they will know we are Christians by our love.” I suspect our Pope also from Chicago, may have sang this hymn in his youth. Likewise, let us also sing the hymn, careful to let its words shine a light on our lives.
