DAILY- HOMILY

The Lord brings his Sermon on the Plain to a close. He says "my words" (i.e., the words I've just spoken in this sermon) are a solid foundation on which you are to build your houses. Build your houses on these my words and no force will succeed in knocking it down, no force will succeed even in shaking it.

We are therefore to build our houses (i.e., to base our lives) on the solid foundation provided by Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Plain. This is what discipleship is, taking Jesus' words seriously. We must be convinced of the truth of Jesus' words and we must recognize the wisdom in them. However . . . this sort of mental and emotional acceptance of Jesus' words is not building our houses on them. It is not discipleship. Discipleship expects that Jesus' words be lived out, that they dictate behavior.

The problem is that many of the words Jesus spoke in this sermon are outrageous: "Blest are you poor; blest are you who hunger and weep; blest will you be when men hate, ostracize and insult you for my sake." "Love your enemies" . . . "do good to those who hate you" . . . "if someone steals your coat, give him your shirt as well" . . . "give to all who beg from you" . . . "be compassionate as your Father is compassionate."

It's hard to believe: is Jesus really serious about this? These outrageous statements: are they to be the foundation on which we're to build our houses, that is, the norms by which we are to live our lives. As I say, it's hard to believe: Jesus really is serious about this.