Building on Rock

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.” (Matthew 7: 24 – 25)

The Rewards of Wisdom

“Wisdom instructs her children and admonishes those who seek her.
He who loves her loves life; those who seek her out win her favor.
He who holds her fast inherits glory; wherever he dwells, the Lord bestows blessings.
Those who serve her serve the Holy One; those who love her the Lord loves.
He who obeys her judges nations; he who hearkens to her dwells in her innermost chambers.
If one trusts her, he will possess her; his descendants too will inherit her.
She walks with him as a stranger, and at first she puts him to the test;
Fear and dread she brings upon him and tries him with her discipline;
With her precepts she puts him to the proof, until his heart is fully with her.
Then she comes back to bring him happiness and reveals her secrets to him.
But if he fails her, she will abandon him and deliver him into the hands of despoilers.”
(Sirach 4: 11 – 19)