Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 1, 2022
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
“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.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
A wise man and a fool. Threatening wind and pounding rain. This gospel passage’s poetic repetition and natural imagery make me think of the climactic storm scene that rages throughout Act 3 of Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Cast out by his children, with only his fool by his side, Lear initially delights in nature’s fury and famously rages back at the storm: “Blow winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow!” Lear feels betrayed by his daughters, and the storm appropriately mirrors his tortured emotional state.
In this crisis, though, Lear’s fool proves much wiser than the king. Recognizing the futility of human arrogance, the fool tells Lear to overcome his pride and ask for his daughters’ blessing. Eventually, the storm leads Lear to see himself in a new way—no longer as an all-powerful king who can control others or the elements, but rather as “a poor, infirm, weak, and despised old man.” This insight leads Lear, at last, to empathy for the “houseless,” the “unfed,” and for all in his care
Shakespeare’s great tragedy has such enduring power because of Lear’s complexity and the ultimate message that love matters more than power. At the end of their lives, people rarely wish for more worldly success or material goods; instead, they wish for spiritual wholeness and more time with loved ones.
In Matthew’s Gospel passage, Jesus’s analogy about the men and their houses seems less about real estate than about listening to our Father’s will in heaven. In each of our lives, the rain will fall, the floods will come, and the winds will blow and buffet us. Rather than striving for power in this life, we might become wise by building our earthly houses on the rock-solid foundation of Christ’s words, reaching out to those on the margins, and “show[ing] the heavens more just.”
Prayer
Lord, you tell us to build a house on the rock and not on sand. We need a strong foundation for our lives, or we will surely be blown away by the first gust of wind. In our hearts we know that we cannot survive without you, but still we are fearful. If we allow you to get too close what will we have to give up, what will we have to change? Give us courage, Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Eligius was a seventh-century saint who lived in France. He was born around 588 AD in France, near Limoges. Eligius' father, Eucherius, apprenticed his young son to a goldsmith. Eligius took to smithing with gusto and, once he had finished his apprenticeship, he gained enough of a reputation that his name caught the ear of King Clotaire II of the Franks, who resided in Paris. Eligius crossed the Loire into the neighboring kingdom of the Franks, and Clotaire hired Elgius to make him a throne and provided him with the necessary gold and gems to construct something suitably grand. Eligius was such a skilled smith that he used the material Clotaire had given him for one throne and constructed two magnificent thrones out of them.
Clotaire was suitably impressed both by Eligius' designing ability and his honesty: Eligius could have simply pocketed the additional gold and precious jewels, but instead gave back the surplus to the king. Subsequently, Clotaire invited him to join the court as the master of the mint. Their honeymoon period did not last long, unfortunately, as Clotaire asked Eligius to swear an oath of allegiance. Eligius hesitated, as he was unsure whether or not Clotaire was going to use this oath for nefarious purposes. Eligius, as a member of the kingdom of the Merovingians, was not a subject of Clotaire who owed him his allegiance. Clotaire continued to press Eligius, annoyed that this otherwise loyal master of mint was resisting his will. Finally, Clotaire came to see that Eligius' refusal was not a matter of resistance, but a matter of conscience, as Eligius wanted nothing to stand in the way of his commitment to doing what he knew was his Christian duty, even his duty to his employer. King Clotaire was so impressed by Eligius' integrity, he embraced him, declaring to Eligius that his conscience was "a better pledge of fidelity than other men's oaths."
King Clotaire's son, Dagobert I, also admired Eligius and kept him in the royal household when his father died. Eligius became such a trusted advisor that he became sort of a gatekeeper to the royal presence. Many visitors stopped to see Eligius and ask for his counsel before reaching the king. The legend of St. Eligius' life details the many splendid monuments in Paris that Eligius crafted out of gold, including reliquaries for St. Martin of Tours and St. Denys.
Eligius dealt in fine things and became rich enough to acquire many fine things and great wealth of his own. Yet, he often gave away his riches in large sums. His home was identified by the crowds of the poor around his house. Eligius' desire to forswear worldly goods for the poor grew into a great desire to join the monastic life. Eligius and his fellow courtier, St. Audoneus, began to contemplate leaving the court to found monasteries. King Dagobert was reluctant to let them go, but eventually, he bequeathed to them estates that they could use to house their monastic communities.
Eligius founded the monastery of Solignac, which followed the joint rules of St. Columban and St. Benedict. Eligius realized that he needed less land than he originally had asked for from the king to complete his building projects, and returned to Dagobert, mortally contrite and begged his forgiveness for swindling him while asking him to take back the land. Dagobert responded: "Some of my officers do not scruple to rob me of whole estates, whereas Eligius is afraid of having one inch of ground which is not his."
Eligius and Audoneus became bishops of Noyon and Rouen, respectively and were consecrated in the year 635 or 641. Eligius' conscientiousness became a hallmark of his episcopacy, and he was highly regarded for his thoughtful pastoral care. He began missionary work into central Europe and cared for the poor and sick wherever he went.
St. Eligius died on December 1, 660. St. Eligius was a widely venerated saint during the middle ages throughout Europe. He is the patron saint of goldsmiths and blacksmiths and is especially honored by the guild of goldsmiths in Paris, where he spent much of his secular smithing career. Eligius provides an admirable model of how a Christian can work in and with the material world and yet continue to always serve God, not mammon.
St. Eligius, honest smith and conscientious steward of Christ's flock—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Eligius is in the public domain. Last accessed November 21, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
