Jesus said to his disciples:
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit,
nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For people do not pick figs from thornbushes,
nor do they gather grapes from brambles.
A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good,
but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil;
for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I command?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
listens to my words, and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house,
who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock;
when the flood came, the river burst against that house
but could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who listens and does not act
is like a person who built a house on the ground
without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
it collapsed at once and was completely destroyed.” – Luke 6:43-49

This is the Gospel reading for today. How timely this message is in my life right now? This is one of the reasons that I find the Catholic Church so beautiful. Everything seems to have a place and a purpose, and today was no exception. When I read this, my heart was filled with joy.

This week was a challenging one. It felt like a whirlwind was blowing through my life and I was just hanging on for dear life. Work was busy, home life was super busy, and I found just a very small period of time for me this week. I am so blessed that the time that I did get for myself, I was able to listen and hear the message the God was trying to send to me. It really did help me get through my week. I was in a major rut last weekend, and I honestly did not see the light at the end of the tunnel. The total opposite happened this week, and I can only claim that was the grace and mercy given to me by God.

That is why this passage hit home today. For one of the rare moments in my life, I actually caught the message that was trying to be sent to me and acted upon it. Trust me, most of the time, the messages go right over my head and it is not until a period of time has passed that I realize what I should have done. With all the emotions and everything this week, it is amazing to me that I even had the presence about me to understand exactly what God was trying to get through to me. I tried so hard to focus on the positive points, keep my faith in front of me, and in the end, I was at peace. It was almost like a spring cleaning for my soul. Through strife I still found solace in my faith.

Please don’t mistake this for a perfect solution, I am still an imperfect human with many major fatal flaws. I know that I am not one that can cast judgement on anyone else in the world, because I have sins that are my own as well. I pray for the healing power and grace of my Lord everyday, to help me turn from these sins and move towards a better relationship with God. It is not an easy thing to do, and it is not some kind of miracle spiritual thing that just happens and poof, everything is good. It is not like that at all, it is a constant refining and slow process. Like a jagged rock being softened by a river, it will take time for me to get through all of my flaws. This week has just shown me that if I have the right perspective and rely on God to lead the way, it is possible to overcome anything.