9 November 2016 - you are God's temple

 

[ Today's Readings ]

The temple is meant to be a place of encounter with the Father. It is meant to be a place where we come into the presence of God. The more evident that purpose is the better. That means there is no room for greed. There is no room for anything that distracts us from that encounter. There is only room for beauty and light in order to elevate our minds and hearts. There is only room for that which will inspire us with zeal for the temple and therefore for the one who dwells within. This is true in Church buildings like the Lateran Basilica. But it is equally true about our hearts.

Brothers and sisters:
You are God’s building.

In fact it is even more true about our hearts. The Spirit of God wells in us in a way that is more profound an intimate than he dwells in any building.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
This means that we should try to make our hearts fit dwelling places for the Spirit of God. We should ask Jesus himself to cleanse them even if it requires a whip of cords and causes some pain. After all, our hearts are meant to be the dwelling places of God. All too often we let them become marketplaces of worldly values. Jesus can bring us back to the true purpose for which he creates us.

The more we allow the Spirit to have the central place in our lives and our hearts the more we see his fruits.

Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.
This is the stream that gives us true gladness and joy. It is the stream of God's very presence.

There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.