Firm Foundation
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
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 only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them…”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Jesus talks about the necessity of hearing the word of God and acting upon it. Hearing and acting. Every day we need to take time to listen to God. Listening to God is a necessity for entering the Kingdom of heaven. Reading the Scriptures (especially the Gospels) is a wonderful way to listen to God. But the other necessary thing for entering the Kingdom of Heaven is acting.
When practicing this type of prayer we are doing now (“mental prayer” or “Christian meditation”), many of the saints emphasize the importance of making a “resolution” at the prayer’s end. That way we take what we have heard and we consider a way (we resolve) to put it into action. That is why at the end of prayer we usually make a suggestion of something to do. In this way our lives become one with our prayer. The saints lived their lives listening to God and putting His words into action afterward. Guess what? With this type of prayer, we are beginning to live as the saints did (and do)—putting into action what we have heard from God. Think of a simple way we can apply this prayer today in our actions.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
