The blog continues to reflect on the Catholic daily bible readings for Advent

Reading 1, Isaiah 26:1-6

1 That day, this song will be sung in Judah: ‘We have a fortress city, the walls and ramparts provide safety.

2 Open the gates! Let the upright nation come in, the nation that keeps faith!

3 This is the plan decreed: you will guarantee peace, the peace entrusted to you.

4 Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord is a rock for ever.

5 He has brought low the dwellers on the heights, the lofty citadel; he lays it low, brings it to the ground, flings it down in the dust.

6 It will be trodden under foot, by the feet of the needy, the steps of the weak.’

"The steps of the weak will walk upon it"

Gospel, Matthew 7:21, 24-27

21 ‘It is not anyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. 24 ‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. 25 Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock.

26 But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. 27 Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’

  The lectionary tradition linked these passages because of the lofty citadel in the first, and the house built on sand in the second: both fall to the ground, because neither are built on the true rock, which is God himself or the teachings of Jesus. The new Jerusalem, celebrated in Isaiah 26, is not a physical city, but rather the citadel of national trust in God. A better translation of v.1 would be, “Our fortress city is Salvation. (As in our hymn, “Salvation is its bulwark sure/against the assailing foe). The poet of this passage uses the historical experience of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, to celebrate redemption by God, who has set his face against national power and prestige. Peace means trust in God and God’s Torah, that is, in prayer and justice, rather than technologies of defence. 

Jesus used this tradition of theology to undermine any superficial allegiance to his ministry.

 “Just say the precious name of the Saviour and you won’t be left behind when the righteous are lifted up to Christ!”

 No, brothers and sisters, Jesus is saying, it won’t get you where you want to go. Jesus is saying, you may have a ticket but the destination on it is “Outer darkness”. Jesus is saying, the glory train won’t stop at your station. (Oh I would love to do this stuff!)

 We shouldn’t , on the other hand, make Jesus words into a distinction between faith and action, as if the latter were all that matters. Jesus’ words are about the whole of what God wants, about trust and prayer, about obedience and humility, about human care and divine blessing. The wise person, that is, the one who is learning the wisdom of God, builds on the foundation of Jesus’ teaching and example. Her house will stand, when the feet of the needy and the steps of the weak are walking all over the detritus of power.