The Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ismael; Our Venerable Father Hypatius, Hegumen of Ruphenia (446).
Apostles’ Fast.
Romans 3:28-4:3; Matthew 7:24-8:4.
Read Matthew 7:24-8:4
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Following the famous saying that every man has to raise a child, to plant a tree, and to build a house, I myself already managed to accomplish all of the three goals including building a house. Therefore, I remember myself looking at the foundation of the house and having some regrets that I spent so much time, effort, and half of my budget on the understructure without even starting to see any of the actual structure of the future building. Yet, at the same time I was happy that the foundation was solid, and my family will hopefully be safe. The same is true about our spiritual life and life in general. We may overlook the importance of the fundamental ethical, moral, and spiritual values without dedicating too much time, effort, and attention to them and eventually arrive at some catastrophic occurrences in our lives, such as divorce, imprisonment, or simply unhappiness. Or we can choose not to rush with our own decision making and relying on faith, religious practices, and God who alone can make us complete and truly happy.
When Jesus drew a picture of two houses, one of which was built on the sand and another one built on the rock, he knew exactly what he was talking about. Being a craftsman, he was an expert in house building with perfect knowledge of the process, materials, and choice of the landscape. There is absolutely no rain in the Holy Land from April till late October. The ground seems to be very dry and solid especially in the Jerusalem area. Yet, even in the Judean desert that in summer appeared to be waterless, a raging torrent of rushing water may occur in winter bringing disaster to those who have built their houses in the dried-up bed of a river. It is seemingly safe and pleasant to make poor choices when we are young and not really thinking about the consequences of our actions, yet, when the difficulties and sufferings come to the picture, we would inevitably arrive at a point when the question of our fundamental values will make a huge difference in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.