The Glory of God in our Midst

In the first reading, Ezekiel 43: 1-7b, the prophet shares the vision with us in which "the angel led [Ezekiel] to the gate which faces the east, and there [Ezekiel] saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east....I, [Ezekiel tells us], fell prone as the glory of the Lord entered by way of the waste which faces the east but the spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court....The voice said to me: Son of man, this is where my throne shall be, this is where I will set the soles of my feet; here I will dwell among there children of Israel forever."

May God open our eyes to the glory of God, to God Himself, dwelling in our Churches, in our Tabernacles, in the Holy of Holies in synagogues, in the depth of each person's being, in the innocence of babies and children, in the love and justice, joy and peace which we bring to each other; in the universe itself: in sunrises and sunsets, in flowers and all created things.

"The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land," we pray in today's  responsorial psalm, Psalm 85.  Furthermore, the psalmist prays: Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land. Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven. The Lord himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. Justice shall walk before [God who dwells in our land], and salvation along the way of his steps."

Am I, are you, in step with the Lord? Are we aware of the glory of God being revealed to us?

God's Dwelling Here on Earth

In today’s first reading, 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30, we ask:  “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?”  If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!”

God’s love is so magnanimous, so selfless, so giving that He created an entire universe to reveal His beauty, His love, His magnificence. The crown of creation is His creation of humankind in the image and likeness of God, male and female He created them—He shares Himself in that each of us reflects the Godhead as much as a child reflects his/her parents.  All of creation God proclaimed good; humankind “very good.”  No part of creation is made for itself. All is made to glorify God!  Churches and temples, also, are not made for themselves but are places in which, through prayer and worship, we are reconsecrated to the Lord and sent forth to proclaim God’s glory by our works of love and selfless giving to one another, to the world, and, yes, the universe itself, beautifying it to glorify its Creator.

In the Gospel, Jesus points out that laws and traditions are not above integrity of persons, of the call to honor the Lord with hearts open to respect, love,  and service to one another  through the commandments, summed up as loving God with our whole hearts, our whole mind, and our whole soul and our neighbor as ourselves.

“Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?”  Look around!  Do you see God reflected in your neighbor? Do you reflect God to your neighbor?

God's Dwelling Place

St. Paul reminds us in today's first reading, Ephesians 2: 19-22, that we are "no longer strangers" nor are we "sojourners," that that we are "being built into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."  What does all of this mean? First of all, we are not strangers to the Lord. A stranger would not take time to visit, would not enter a stranger's house, would not be known  by the other. On the contrary, to God, we are a friend.  We have permanent residence with the Lord, existing in the very core of God's Being, held in the palm of His hand. We are friends who are always welcome, persons God confides in, speaks to heart to heart.  We are part of "structure "held together" and growing "into a temple sacred in the Lord."

We are "being built into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." What building materials is the Lord using?  God uses the materials from my life: its mud, its cement, its clay, its brilliant and dull colors, its woodiness, its softness, its pearls and diamonds--everything that makes me who I am in my strengths and weaknesses, my successes and failures, my ups and downs! Everything! The "mud" God changes into grace. The earthy elements into diamonds and other pearls of great price. He uses my vulnerabilities and weaknesses and creates strengths that support me to become pillar of truth and goodness needed in situations lacking these "pearls."

You and I need to bring these mundane materials to the Lord to be transformed by grace.  Nothing is "not good enough." God never disapproves of what I bring Him.  And, yes, all I have to bring are my weaknesses and my sinfulness. God uses these to grow me into the best version of myself, into "a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."