MAKING OURSELVES THE TEMPLE OF GOD THROUGH WORSHIP AND ASSIMILATION OF THE WORD OF GOD

20150922 MAKING OURSELVES THE TEMPLE OF GOD THROUGH WORSHIP AND ASSIMILATION OF THE WORD OF GOD

Readings at Mass

First reading

Ezra 6:7-8,12,14-20 ©

King Darius wrote to the satrap of Transeuphrates and his colleagues: ‘Leave the high commissioner of Judah and the elders of the Jews to work on this Temple of God; they are to rebuild this Temple of God on its ancient site. This, I decree, is how you must assist the elders of the Jews in the reconstruction of this Temple of God: the expenses of these people are to be paid, promptly and without fail, from the royal revenue – that is, from the tribute of Transeuphrates. May the God who causes his name to live there overthrow any king or people who dares to defy this and destroy the Temple of God in Jerusalem! I, Darius, have issued this decree. Let it be obeyed to the letter!’

  The elders of the Jews prospered with their building, inspired by Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished the building in accordance with the order of the God of Israel and the order of Cyrus and of Darius. This Temple was finished on the twenty-third day of the month of Adar; it was the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. The Israelites – the priests, the Levites and the remainder of the exiles – joyfully dedicated this Temple of God; for the dedication of this Temple of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs and, as a sacrifice for sin for the whole of Israel, twelve he-goats, corresponding to the number of the tribes of Israel. Then they installed the priests according to their orders in the service of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as is written in the Book of Moses.

  The exiles celebrated the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Levites, as one man, had purified themselves; all were pure, so they sacrificed the passover for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests and for themselves.

Psalm

Psalm 121:1-5 ©

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

I rejoiced when I heard them say:

  ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

And now our feet are standing

  within your gates, O Jerusalem.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Jerusalem is built as a city

  strongly compact.

It is there that the tribes go up,

  the tribes of the Lord.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

For Israel’s law it is,

  there to praise the Lord’s name.

There were set the thrones of judgement

  of the house of David.

I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Ps129:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,

I count on his word.

Alleluia!

Or

Lk11:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy are those

who hear the word of God

and keep it.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 8:19-21 ©

The mother and the brothers of Jesus came looking for him, but they could not get to him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside and want to see you’ But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’

MAKING OURSELVES THE TEMPLE OF GOD THROUGH WORSHIP AND ASSIMILATION OF THE WORD OF GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: EZR 6:7-8. 12. 14-20; LK 8:19-21

In the first reading, we read of the return of the Jews from exile in Babylon.  The first thing they did was to rebuild the Temple.  For the Jews, the Temple was what gave them a sense of identity, namely, that they are the people of God.  Indeed, for the Jews, the Kingdom and the Temple were sacred to them.  That is why many of the psalms are devoted to the king and to Jerusalem where the Temple of God is.  Similarly, we regard ourselves as the New Temple of God and each individual as the Temple of the Holy Spirit.  We call ourselves Christians and are proud to be known as Christians.   Yet, for many, they are just Catholics or Christians in name but not in fact.  Just being called “Christians” or going to Church will not change us or give us life.  This was what happened to the Israelites and Jews. They were clinging to their race and status as the People of God. But Jesus warned them “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”  Only such people belong to the people of God.

Secondly, we note that the Jews progressed from founding their identity in the Temple to the Word of God.  In the Old Testament, the Israelites were deeply ritualistic people.  They were meticulous in offering sacrifices at the Temple of Jerusalem.  Their lives were centered on the Temple. This explains why they felt so lost without the Temple.  Their only thought was to return home to rebuild the grandiose and magnificent Temple once built by King Solomon when Israel was in its glory.  Hence, we can imagine the joy of the people when the Temple was at last restored, as we read in the first reading, even though it was not as grand as before. “The Israelites – the priests, the Levites and the remainder of the exiles – joyfully dedicated this Temple of God; for the dedication of this Temple of God they offered one hundred bulls … Then they installed the priests according to their orders in the service of the Temple of God in Jerusalem, as is written in the Book of Moses.”

Nevertheless there was a gradual, subtle shift from focusing on the Temple to the Word of God. This was because during the period of exile, without the Temple, their only worship was focused on the Word of God.  Thus, by the time of Jesus, the Synagogue grew in importance.  God wanted to teach the people that true worship is more than just offering sacrifices and rituals.  The temptation for offering such sacrifices, which were certainly meaningful if properly interiorized’ at the same time caused those who reduced these sacrifices to mere rituals to become extraneous participants.  This is true also of many Catholics attending Church services as mere spectators, or “out-standing” Catholics, who do not fully participate in the service.  These have reduced faith to the performance of rituals and fulfillment of some obligations.  But their hearts and minds are far from the celebration.  To be sure, one of the reasons for the new translation of the Mass is to bring about a greater and more solemn participation through a more accurate translation of the original texts, aided by chanting. It is hoped that in time to come, everyone, regardless which church they attend, can worship, pray and sing as one community, rather than be mere observers.

Yet, our spiritual life cannot be reduced to mere worship and vocal prayers alone.  This accounts for the apparent dichotomy of those who attend daily Mass and community prayers and worship, yet live lives that have not changed much over the years.  Why is this so?  Why is it that their lives produce no fruits even though they are daily communicants of the Eucharist?  Such people are really people of good will.  They come for services regularly, attend retreats, help out in Church, etc.  But like many of our Church volunteers and members in organizations, their spiritual life is weak. And so is their moral life.  Many are in fact living a double life, apparently very active in Church activities but living a sinful life outside the Church.  We do not see an increase in virtues, in a change of lifestyle, in compassion, humility, forgiveness, tolerance and charity.  The truth is that spiritually they have not grown.  Indeed, the warning of Jesus is pertinent.  “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.’  St Teresa of Avila reminds us that progress in prayer life must be seen by the fruits.  Regardless of whatever spiritual exercises we do, if we do not bear fruits of charity, it means that we are not praying rightly or fervently.

Consequently, in today’s gospel, Jesus spoke of one’s true identity as those who hear the Word of God and keep it.  Just as we find our family identity through the family, so to find our spiritual identity, we must be rooted in the Word.  No progress in spiritual life is possible if we abandon daily and diligent meditation on the Word of God.

When we speak of meditation, we are not even referring to discursive meditation on the Word of God alone.  There are some who might have realized the importance of meditation on the Word of God for spiritual growth.  But quite often, they only use their head to attempt to penetrate the meaning of the Word of God.  They are keener on gaining insights into the Word of God to understand themselves better, which is certainly noble.  But of course there are some who fall in love with their “insights” so much so that they feel intellectually superior to others.

For this reason, discursive meditation must move towards the level of affective prayer and ending with the prayer of simplicity.  All spiritual writers and mystics invite us to arrive at the prayer of simplicity in order that our wills are moved by the intellect.  Otherwise, it remains merely a cerebral exercise.  The purpose of meditation is not solely to gain insights. This could be done by attending a course, a seminar or just reading some theological and spiritual books.  The ultimate goal of meditation is to enlighten the intellect so that it can then offer to the will something good to acquire.  So the intellect is to activate the will to desire the truth as good.  In other words, discursive meditation is but the first step to help a person to surrender his will to the Lord so that he can then experience the love of God and make a real commitment to Him, a commitment that comes not from the head but from a heart that is so in love with God as a person.  Only affective prayer that engages in a colloquy with the Lord can effect such a transformation of the heart.  And when the heart and mind coalesce, knowledge and love are united in the prayer of simplicity; one experiences the joy of being one with God in mind, heart and soul.  This prayer of simplicity is but the first step towards mystical prayer.

Finally, when all is done, we must make some resolutions at the end of the meditation. Without making resolutions, we are in danger of falling either into intellectualism or sentimentalism.  As St James warns us, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man, who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:23-25)  Hence, it is necessary for us to conclude all our meditation with resolutions that spring not from some intellectual conclusion after the meditation, but from a heart so moved to desire to live out the truths revealed to us by the Lord about ourselves or the needs of people around us.  Not only do we make resolutions but we must, throughout the day, pause at least once or twice, to reexamine ourselves by periodic examen.  Without these frequently recollections it would be difficult to put what we meditate into practice.  Most of all, we must not simply contemplate on the Word, but put it into practice whenever the opportunity arises.  

Indeed, we cannot find our identity simply by worshipping in the Temple of God.  Rather, we are called to be the Temple of God.  We are all called to be who we are, namely, as the people of God.  God dwells in us only when we abide in His Word.  This is what Jesus promised us.  He said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (Jn 14:21)  Again Jesus reiterated, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”  (Jn 14:23)  Truly, if we abide in Him, He will abide in us and the Holy Spirit will transform us into the Temple of God.  In this way we no longer just worship in the temple or in church, watching the priest offering the Eucharistic sacrifice, or even just hearing the Word of God; we become active participants of the sacrifice, offering ourselves in union with Jesus as a living sacrifice to the Father.

The gospel presents to us Mary as the exemplar of one who has truly become the dwelling place of God.  Indeed, Jesus said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”  It is therefore appropriate that God sees it fitting to bestow on Mary the honour of being the mother of the Son of God.  She, as the gospel says, was full of grace, for she has always meditated on the Word of God, pondered over it and lived it out in her life.  So with the psalmist we pray, “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. I rejoiced because they said to me, “We will go up to the house of the Lord. And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem.”  This house of God is no longer a physical place alone, but truly the heavenly Jerusalem where God dwells.  We are now the dwelling place of God because God lives in us.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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