Word to the Wise
Monday, October 28, 2013 - Oct. 28 - Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles
[Eph 2:19-22 and Luke 6:12-19]You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the capstone.
The city of Houston, TX, where I live, is experiencing a "building boom." Holy Rosary Priory is located near the downtown area and also near the vast medical center complex which is one of the major "industries" of the city. Each morning, when I walk around the neighborhood, I can see large apartment houses being constructed and witness the process from the ground up! It is a methodical process and each step and each ingredient is important. The image of the church as a "building" made up of human persons, resting on the foundation of Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, has many reminders here. St. Paul's audience would have been familiar with the Greco-Roman temples and theaters that existed all around the Mediterranean area.
While the foundation is extremely important, it has no purpose other than to support what comes on top! A foundation with nothing on it is a very sad sight! Saints Simon and Jude have their names written on the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem [Rev. 21:14], but the rest of us, like those bricks we see on certain sidewalks, have our names inscribed there, too! Each baptism of a Christian adds to the living edifice! Stand tall!!! AMEN