Today, the Lord pronounced these words at the end of His "Sermon on the Mount" where He bestows a new and deeper meaning to the Commandments of the Old Testament, the "words" of God to men. He talks as the Son of God, and as such, He demands us “to receive what I say to you”, as very significant words. Thus, these are words of eternal life which we must put into practice; they are not given to us just to be heard without any personal involvement —only to forget them later, or just to admire the speaker.

“To build a house on sand” (cf. Mt 7:26) is an image used to describe a foolish behavior that leads us nowhere and ends up in failure after a long and painful effort to build something. “Bene curris, sed extra viam", said St. Augustine, which we could translate as: “You run well, but you are off the path”. What a shame to end up like that, at the time of trial, of the storms and floods that inevitably fill up our life!

On the other hand, the Lord wants to teach us how to set up a solid groundwork, the base of which originates in our effort to act according to His teachings, living them every day with small decisions that we will try to follow. Thus, our daily resolutions to live by Christ’s teachings must end up in tangible results which, despite not being definitive, can still bring joy and gratitude when we examine our conscience at the end of the day. The joy of having achieved a small victory over ourselves is a preparation for other battles, and the strength will not fail us - with the grace of God — to persevere until the end.

Today, the Gospel invites us to meditate very seriously on the infinite distance that there is between the mere “listen-invoke” and the “do” when it comes to the message and the person of Jesus. And we say “mere” because we cannot forget that there are ways of listening and invoking that do not lead to the “doing”. Indeed, all those who, having listened to the Gospel, believe, will not remain confused; and all those who, believing, invoke the name of the Lord, will be saved: Paul preaches in his letter to the Romans (see: 10:9-13). He is referring to those who believe with authentic faith, that which “works through charity”.

It is a fact, however, that many believe and do not “do”. Saint James' letter exposes it in an impressive way: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves” (1:22); “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:17); “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (2:26). Saint Matthew rejects such a way of going about one's faith, in an unforgettable way, when he says: “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” (7:21).

It is therefore necessary to listen and to do; in this way we build on rock and not on sand. How do I put what I listen to into action? Let's ask ourselves a few questions: —Do God and my fellow man really get my consideration? —Am I a convinced believer?; As to money —Do I share my goods out of solidarity with others?; As to culture —Do I contribute to the invigoration of human values in my country? ; As to the growth of good —Do I run away from the sin of omission?; As to apostolate —Do I look for the eternal salvation of those around me? In a word: —Am I a sensible person who, with works, builds the house of my life on Christ's rock?