Isaiah 26:1-6 / Matthew 7:21, 24-27
To build a house on a hill top is certainly not an easy task, but the effort is worth it and the rewards are obvious.
We can be assured of a beautiful scenery and when there are heavy rains, a house on a hill top will be spared of the danger of floods.
But to build a house on a rock that is on top of a hill may be a different matter altogether.
Rocks, especially large rocks on the top of a hill will give a precarious feeling is its stability will be dependent on chance circumstances, unknown conditions, or uncertain developments. And there is also a lack of security or stability that threatens with danger.
In the gospel, Jesus said that a sensible man will build his house on rock, and as the rains came down and floods rose and the gales blew, it will not fall.
But a sensible and wise man will also look and see where this rock is. He certainly won't build his house on a rock that is sitting on top of a hill. That is just too precarious.
In the 1st reading, we hear of the triumphant song of Judah - We have a strong city; to guard us He has set wall and rampart around us.
And this strong city is built on none other than the Lord who is the everlasting Rock, and it is on this Rock that the people must trust.
Certainly, we would build our house and our lives on something stable and secure like on rock.
May that rock be the Lord and we will have that peace and security that only the Lord our Rock can give us.