From Catholic Charities USA ... "Advent and Christmas Daily Reflections"

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier

It is hard not to notice themes of building up and being torn down in the reading from Isaiah and the Gospel of Matthew today. In the ancient world, fortifications were matters of life and death; some invading force was always on the horizon (the Holy Land is poor in natural resources, but it’s on the road to everywhere else). Properly built “walls and ramparts” were the difference between security or slavery. All of which leads to Isaiah and Matthew upending that model, asserting that one’s trust and faith are better placed in God. All things built of humankind –defensive forts, political empires, humble dwellings – are subject to deterioration and eventual ruin. God is the one true foundation that does not fail ...

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