What Kind of Life Are You Building?

Whenever a building is put together, there are certain things that need to be in place before construction can begin. If a building is constructed at random, then it will not stand to test of time, but will fall apart as soon as the first storm hits. The construction team has to know what kind of building they are going to produce. Homes are constructed very differently from stores, and skyscrapers need special considerations. Then, an architect needs to draw up a blueprint that tells the construction team what the final product should look like. Buildings are always constructed with a purpose and a plan.

Our lives are very similar to the construction of a building. When we focus all of our effort on earthly things like wealth, possessions, or reputation, we build our lives into one type of building. This is what the man in today's Gospel is doing when he decides to build large storehouses for all his material goods. All the earthly goods that we acquire are temporary. When we pass away, our earthly possessions and reputation do not benefit us in any way.

The person whose life has become a storehouse for temporary things is like someone who has built their house on shifting sands. About a house like that, Jesus says "the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it," (Matthew 7:27).

If, on the other hand, we "lay up...treasures in heaven," (Matthew 6:20), then our lives are like a different kind of building. Instead of being a storehouse for temporary goods, this kind of life becomes a temple to the unchanging God. A temple is a place where we encounter the presence of God. When our heart is with God in heaven, then we find that God is also with us in our heart. When we encounter God in our heart, then St. Paul's words from today's Epistle become true for us: in Jesus Christ "you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit," (Ephesians 2:22).

The life that has been built into a temple to God is like the house that is built on solid rock. Jesus says about this house that "the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock," (Matthew 7:25).

The Wisdom of Sirach gives us a piece of poignant advice: "In all that you do, remember your end and you will never sin," (Sirach 7:36). Let us remember that everything here on earth is temporary, while God's Kingdom is everlasting. Let that understanding become the 'blueprint' on which we build our lives. When we seek to build up our spiritual treasures with God in heaven, then the building of our life is built on a solid foundation, "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," (Matthew 6:21).