From Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Kraków-Błonie, 27 May 2006
“My friends, in the heart of every man there is the desire for a house. Even more so in the young person’s heart there is a great longing for a proper house, a stable house, one to which he can not only return with joy, but where every guest who arrives can be joyfully welcomed. There is a yearning for a house where the daily bread is love, pardon and understanding. It is a place where the truth is the source out of which flows peace of heart. There is a longing for a house you can be proud of, where you need not be ashamed and where you never fear its loss. These longings are simply the desire for a full, happy and successful life. Do not be afraid of this desire! Do not run away from this desire! Do not be discouraged at the sight of crumbling houses, frustrated desires and faded longings. God the Creator, who inspires in young hearts an immense yearning for happiness, will not abandon you in the difficult construction of the house called life.
My friends, this brings about a question: “How do we build this house?” Without doubt, this is a question that you have already faced many times and that you will face many times more. Every day you must look into your heart and ask: “How do I build that house called life?” Jesus, whose words we just heard in the passage from the evangelist Matthew, encourages us to build on the rock. In fact, it is only in this way that the house will not crumble. But what does it mean to build a house on the rock? Building on the rock means, first of all, to build on Christ and with Christ. Jesus says: “Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock” (Mt 7:24). These are not just the empty words of some person or another; these are the words of Jesus. We are not listening to any person: we are listening to Jesus. We are not asked to commit to just anything; we are asked to commit ourselves to the words of Jesus.
To build on Christ and with Christ means to build on a foundation that is called “crucified love”. It means to build with Someone who, knowing us better than we know ourselves, says to us: “You are precious in my eyes and honoured, and I love you” (Is 43:4). It means to build with Someone, who is always faithful, even when we are lacking in faith, because he cannot deny himself (cf. 2 Tim2:13). It means to build with Someone who constantly looks down on the wounded heart of man and says: “ I do not condemn you, go and do not sin again” (cf. Jn 8:11). It means to build with Someone who, from the Cross, extends his arms and repeats for all eternity: “O man, I give my life for you because I love you.” In short, building on Christ means basing all your desires, aspirations, dreams, ambitions and plans on his will. It means saying to yourself, to your family, to your friends, to the whole world and, above all to Christ: “Lord, in life I wish to do nothing against you, because you know what is best for me. Only you have the words of eternal life” (cf. Jn 6:68). My friends, do not be afraid to lean on Christ! Long for Christ, as the foundation of your life! Enkindle within you the desire to build your life on him and for him! Because no one who depends on the crucified love of the Incarnate Word can ever lose.”
There is an undeniable longing for a home in everyone’s heart. I have recently spoken with people who are battling big life decisions or feelings of uncertainty for the future. I of course am one of them. There are endless opportunities and possibilities when you’re in your early 20’s, but then occasionally there are moments that make you realize that time is flying by and you have no idea where life is taking you. Most of the time I don’t even know what I’m doing from one minute to the next,- it’s in my nature to avoid making plans. This is probably due to my extra large family, my personality, and the fact that I have moved houses seven times and attended five different schools. Nonetheless I always find myself hungry for relationships that offer me a sense of security and stability. Thank God I can always find this in my family and close friends, but sometimes that just isn't enough. Sometimes they don’t always have the answers and my family and friends are spread out all over the country. When I couldn't sleep this morning I really had nothing else to do but fold my laundry and pray. At the beginning of this new year I find myself reevaluating my life and where I’m headed. The beginning of the new semester presents a whole new batch of decisions to make and when I read this in a meditation book I own, I clung to it. I have read it before, but today I really needed to hear it. There are so many paths to take in college and in a similar way, so many places and people to call home. The new year had prompted a new desire in me to build my days with more meaning, more intention and more consciousness of where I am placing my security. There are concrete ways I can try and do this, but God is essentially the answer. Making him my home, the person I turn to in times of stress and uncertainty. As Pope Emeritus Benedict expressed so beautifully, to build a life with someone who is always faithful and who loves us eternally and perfectly.
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