Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Building projects begin with a foundation, as today’s gospel reminds us. Frequently, passing by construction sites, it appears as if the basement takes forever to excavate and then even longer for the cement walls to be poured. Once this project is completed, the rest of the building seems to appear quicker than the previous work. Of course this makes sense, especially if the building were tall and required support. How the foundation was laid will set the stability of the rest of the building.
Jesus reminds us in today’s gospel that the foundation does in fact establish the stability of the project. Ignatius likewise calls attention to this fundamental idea in his First Principle and Foundation in his Spiritual Exercises when he identifies the love of God as the bedrock on which all our decisions should be based.