The prophet reminds us that God is our refuge and strength. We are invited to put our trust in God who is faithful and true, through thick and thin.

It explains your actions by referencing it to your love of the Lord. but words need action to back it up.　 And action need words to explain itself.

The sensible thing to do is to root our faith in Him otherwise we are just being stupid.

if our faith is strong and rooted in Jesus we can withstand anything.

 

St. Ambrose, bishop & doctor

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊ 

Isaiah 26:1-6

On that day

This song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city, he himself has set up walls and fortifications to protect us.

Open the gates!

Let the righteous nation enter, she who is firm in faithfulness. 

 

You keep in perfect peace the one of steadfast mind, the one who trusts in you. 

Trust in Yahweh forever, for Yahweh is an everlasting Rock.

He brought down those who dwell on high, he laid low the lofty city, he razed it to the ground, leveled it to the dust. Now it is trampled. The poor and the lowly tread upon it.

 

Ps 118:1 & 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊      

Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Jesus said to his disciples, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. 

 

"Therefore, anyone who hears these words of mine, and acts according to them, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house. But it did not collapse, because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible collapse that was!"

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"Alone, we can do nothing."

Advent is a time to look forward to the kingdom of heaven. But today's readings answer a related question: Who may enter the kingdom of heaven? The gates of the kingdom of heaven cannot be breached with armies or opened by bribes. Only the righteous and the faithful may enter the kingdom. The lowly and the poor are welcomed while those who disregard or take advantage of the vulnerable find themselves outside. Simply offering lip service to faithfulness is not enough. Witnessing to our faith with our lives is necessary.

 

So how can we prepare ourselves to enter God's kingdom? Alone, we can do nothing. Only by God's grace can we be conformed to Christ and worthy to share his kingdom. We can read and pray over God's Word, allowing it to take root in our lives and bear fruit in just actions. If we persevere in faith, hope, and love, we will live with God forever.