Saturday September 12, 2026

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“I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built.” (1 Corinthians 4:47-48)

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Good News Reflection for:

Saturday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time
September 12, 2026

Today’s Readings:

1 Corinthians 10:14-22
Psalm 116:12-13, 17-18
Luke 6:43-49
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091226.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/daily-mass-reading-podcast-september-12-2026

How to stay deeply rooted in Christ

Jesus’ analogy of the flood in today’s Gospel reading reminds me of the times when hurricanes flooded my yard.  I can imagine Jesus walking with me afterward to check the damage inflicted on the trees. He’s pointing to a tall tree that’s still standing, and He says, “That one is like the man who is a deeply rooted tree. The hurricane winds came and yet the tree remained standing. Those who do not listen to and act on My words are like the trees that fell. Even if they believe in Me, if they are not deeply rooted in Me, the storm will overtake them.”

Then He points to a large tree that fell and, on the way down, damaged every tree it came into contact with. And He says, “Consider with whom you surround yourself. When a friend who does not know Me comes crashing down, he will take you with him unless you are deeply rooted in Me. Even so, that friend will damage you.” 

Jesus is telling us what it means to be well grounded and deeply rooted: We listen to His words (this gives us roots) and we act on them (this makes them go deep).

Why does doing the Word deepen our faith? Because we don’t fully understand what Jesus teaches us until we do what He teaches. Listening (or reading his Word) puts the knowledge into our heads. Doing what we’ve learned moves it into our hearts.

Consider why it’s so easy, for some people, to reject the moral teachings of the Church. If they prefer to believe what the world teaches about marriage, birth control, homosexual activities, and transgenderism, for example, it’s because they’ve not reached the level of understanding that comes from doing the truth.

Perhaps the teaching of Jesus that you struggle with is forgiveness. He taught by word and deed that we must forgive everyone who has sinned against us — even the worst of them. But that feels impossible. Especially when they’re unrepentant, unapologetic.

It’s when we do what Jesus says to do, asking God to forgive them, that we experience the peace that comes from letting go of our anger. It might be righteous anger, but it keeps us tied up in anguish if we don’t forgive. By doing the Word, we finally understand that we are healed by it. We recover the freedom to live without being chained to the person who hurt us.

This is how to stay deeply rooted in Christ. We do the Word, and we are healed by the doing. We do the Word, and we learn from the doing.

© by Terry A. Modica, Good News Ministries

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