A phrase from today’s Gospel really caught my attention: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.”
It reminded me of a time back in 2011, when I had left the comforts of the United States to return to Peru, my native country. I had high expectations because I was already a college graduate, but reality was completely different from what I had imagined. I couldn’t get a job because I was overqualified. When I finally got hired, they never paid me, and I was so poor that I only ate twice a day without snacks. It was a mess. There was a church not far from my apartment, where I would visit the Blessed Sacrament every day and go to Mass on Sundays. My faith never wavered; on the contrary, it grew stronger. I visited the Blessed Sacrament three times a day, for what I called my spiritual breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Faith in God was what kept me alive and gave me hope for a better tomorrow.
We must remember and put into practice what God teaches us every day, especially by following His commandments and teachings so as to continue growing in faith. Whether we are experiencing good times or difficult situations, we must continue to trust in God. The first reading says, “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal Rock.” Being with God and walking hand in hand with Him is what gave me strength when I didn’t have a job. God’s love calmed my hunger when the only thing I could eat every day was two pieces of bread and some milk for breakfast and an eighth of a chicken breast, rice, and broccoli for dinner.
The strength God gave me to overcome that difficult time made me love Him more, and I was grateful every day for having at least a little food to eat. We don’t have the ability to resolve everything. We need God in our lives to overcome difficulties, and we must always put what we’ve learned into practice. A high school math teacher once gave me some advice: “Put the concept or definition you learned into practice in order to get results.” Let’s all build our “house” on Christ, our Rock.
En el evangelio de hoy hay una frase que me llamó mucho la atención “El que escucha estas palabras mías y las pone en práctica, se parece a un hombre prudente, que edificó su casa sobre roca”.
Me hizo acordar a una temporada en el 2011, donde había dejado las comodidades de estar en Estados Unidos para volver a Perú, mi país nativo. Tenía muchas expectativas porque ya era un profesional, pero la realidad fue totalmente distinta a las que había pensado. No podía conseguir trabajo porque estaba sobrecalificado. Cuando por fin me contrataron, nunca me pagaron, y era tan pobre que sólo comía dos veces al día sin snacks. Todo era un caos. A poca distancia de donde vivía había una iglesia, la cual siempre iba todos los días al Santísimo y los domingos a Misa. Mi fe nunca se deterioró, más bien se iba haciendo más fuerte yendo al Santísimo tres veces por día, lo cual llamaba mi desayuno, almuerzo y cena espiritual. La fe en Dios era lo que me mantenía vivo y la esperanza de tener una mejor mañana.
Hay que acordarse y poner en práctica lo que Dios nos enseña todos los días, sobre todo seguir sus mandamientos y enseñanzas para seguir teniendo una fe cada día más fuerte. En los momentos buenos o situaciones difíciles hay que seguir confiando en Dios. En la primera lectura dice, “Confíen siempre en el Señor, porque el Señor es nuestra fortaleza para siempre”. Lo que siempre me dio fuerza de no tener trabajo es estar con Dios en cada momento y caminar de la mano junto a él. El amor de Dios me calmaba el hambre cuando todos los días sólo podía comer dos panes con leche en el desayuno y un octavo de pechuga de pollo, arroz y brócoli para la cena.
La fortaleza de Dios para superar ese mal momento me hizo amarlo más, y hasta agradecía todos los días por tener al menos un poco de comida. Nosotros no tenemos la capacidad de resolverlo todo. Necesitamos a Dios en nuestra vida para superar las dificultades y siempre hay que poner en práctica lo aprendido. Una vez me dio un consejo un profesor de matemáticas de la escuela secundaria: “pon en práctica el concepto o la definición de lo que has aprendido para obtener los resultados”. Que todos construyamos nuestra “casa” en Jesucristo, nuestra Roca.
Felix Urcia was born in Lima, Peru. He moved the U.S. to complete his college degree in Computer Science at Northern Kentucky University. He is passionate about his faith, his family, education and soccer. When he is not homeschooling and caring for his young children he enjoys personal programing projects and coaching. He and wife live in a small town in Western Michigan where they enjoy spending time with their five children.
Feature Image Credit: Nestoras Argiris, unsplash.com/photos/meteora-on-a-cliff-XMsP24vc_Rw
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Tami Urcia is a midwestern gal from a large Catholic family. As a young adulthood she was a missionary in Mexico, where she studied theology and philosophy. After returning stateside bilingual, she gained a variety of work experience, traveled extensively and finished her Bachelor’s Degree at Brescia University. She loves organizing and simplifying things, watching her children play sports, deep conversations with close family and friends and finding unique ways to brighten others’ day with Christ’s love. She works full time at Diocesan in the Software Department and manages the Inspiration Daily reflections. She is also a contributing writer on 
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Deacon Dan Schneider is a retired general manager of industrial distributors. He and his wife Vicki have been married for over 50 years. They are the parents of eight children and thirty-one grandchildren. He has a degree in Family Life Education from Spring Arbor University. He was ordained a Permanent Deacon in 2002. He has a passion for working with engaged and married couples and his main ministry has been preparing couples for marriage.
Tami Urcia grew up in Western Michigan, a middle child in a large Catholic family. She spent early young adulthood as a missionary in Mexico, studying theology and philosophy, then worked and traveled extensively before finishing her Bachelor’s Degree in Western Kentucky. She loves tackling projects, finding fun ways to keep her little ones occupied, quiet conversation with the hubby and finding unique ways to love. She works full time at Diocesan, is a guest blogger on 
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Mike Karpus is a regular guy. He grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, graduated from Michigan State University and works as an editor. He is married to a Catholic school principal, raised two daughters who became Catholic school teachers at points in their careers, and now relishes his two grandchildren, including the older one who is fascinated with learning about his faith. He also has served on a Catholic school board, a pastoral council and a parish stewardship committee. He currently is a lector at Mass, a Knight of Columbus, Adult Faith Formation Committee member and a board member of the local Habitat for Humanity organization. But mostly he’s a regular guy.
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