20250926 FINDING COURAGE TO FILL THE TEMPLE OF GOD WITH HIS GLORY
26 September 2025, Friday, 25th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Haggai 1:15-2:9 |
'The new glory of this Temple is to surpass the old'
In the second year of King Darius, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord was addressed through the prophet Haggai, as follows, ‘You are to speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the high commissioner of Judah, to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people. Say this, “Who is there left among you that saw this Temple in its former glory? And how does it look to you now? Does it seem nothing to you? But take courage now, Zerubbabel – it is the Lord who speaks. Courage, High Priest Joshua son of Jehozadak! Courage, all you people of the country! – it is the Lord who speaks. To work! I am with you – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks – and my spirit remains among you. Do not be afraid! For the Lord of Hosts says this: A little while now, and I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations and the treasures of all the nations shall flow in, and I will fill this Temple with glory, says the Lord of Hosts. Mine is the silver, mine the gold! – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks. The new glory of this Temple is going to surpass the old, says the Lord of Hosts, and in this place I will give peace – it is the Lord of Hosts who speaks.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 42(43):1-4 |
Hope in God; I will praise him still, my saviour and my God.
Defend me, O God, and plead my cause
against a godless nation.
From deceitful and cunning men
rescue me, O God.
Hope in God; I will praise him still, my saviour and my God.
Since you, O God, are my stronghold,
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go mourning
oppressed by the foe?
Hope in God; I will praise him still, my saviour and my God.
O send forth your light and your truth;
let these be my guide.
Let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
Hope in God; I will praise him still, my saviour and my God.
And I will come to the altar of God,
the God of my joy.
My redeemer, I will thank you on the harp,
O God, my God.
Hope in God; I will praise him still, my saviour and my God.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mk10:45 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 9:18-22 |
'You are the Christ of God'
One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ It was Peter who spoke up. ‘The Christ of God’ he said. But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this.
‘The Son of Man’ he said ‘is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’
FINDING COURAGE TO FILL THE TEMPLE OF GOD WITH HIS GLORY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Haggai 1:15-2:9; Ps 43:1-4; Lk 9:18-22]
The people of Israel were summoned by the Prophet to rebuild the Temple of God. But the intention was more than simply restoring a building or providing a place for worship. The Temple in Jerusalem was meant to manifest the glory of God. Indeed, just before the exile, we are told how the glory of God left the Temple because of the sins of the people. The Prophet Ezekiel described this scene: “Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house and stopped above the cherubim. The cherubim lifted up their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight as they went out with the wheels beside them.” (Ez 10:18f) This is the crux of today’s Scripture readings: are our churches truly a manifestation of the presence of the glory of God?
Some churches are so poorly maintained, apparently due to a lack of funds, that they resemble the ruins of the Temple in Jerusalem. But is the shortage of donations the root of the problem? The truth is that when a church struggles financially, it is often not because the people lack money, but because they are not touched by the worship and fellowship of the community. When leaders and members lack faith and devotion to God, the church inevitably falls into “maintenance mode”, or worse. When the worship is not lively and meaningful, when the Word of God is not preached with conviction and relevance, when the people are individualistic and lack hospitality and inclusivity, we will find a community that is boring, lacking creativity and dynamism, and vision. Gradually, those who remain only out of tradition or routine grow old and die, leaving no one to take their place. Such a church ceases to be a light for the world or the salt of the earth. In short, it no longer reflects the glory of God. If this describes your church, then indeed, something must be done.
This was how the prophet Haggai sought to awaken his people from laxity and indifference to the ruins of the Temple, as though it were none of their concern. He addressed the political and religious leaders of Israel: “Who is there left among you that saw this Temple in its former glory? And how does it look to you now? Does it seem nothing to you?” This is what the Lord is saying to the Catholic Church universally as well. What has happened to the glory of the Lord present in our churches during the last millennium, up until the end of the previous century? Our ancestors built churches of grandeur and splendour, not because they had much money, but they were people of deep faith and were willing to sacrifice time, money and resources to honour God. They frequented Masses, and confessions. Devotions and pilgrimages flourished. Miracles, especially of healings, were bountiful, and many donated generously to the Church. But today, we have abandoned our devotions, our Masses are stripped to bare rituals often devoid of the accompanying sacramentals – all in the name of simplicity. Without the external expressions of love for Christ and His Church, including the building, we have lost the sense of the Sacred. Few are sharing their faith with others or testifying to the miracles at work in their lives.
Ironically, even the Vatican is facing financial deficit, despite receiving contributions from churches worldwide. Funds are insufficient to sustain the various dicasteries responsible for overseeing the mission of the Church in the world, including its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts. What could be the reason for the deficit? While financial impropriety and mismanagement may account for part of the problem, the deeper issue is that Catholics in Europe and the West are generally losing their faith. Secularism has taken root, and God no longer has a place in public or private life. As a result, many no longer contribute to the Church or support through taxes. With dwindling congregations and declining finances, many ancient and beautiful churches have to be closed down, sold, or converted into eateries and shops.
If we want to rebuild our churches, we must first restore the glory of God. In other words, more than just being concerned with building churches or renovating them, we need to revive the faith of our people. We need to evangelize them and fill them with the fire of the Holy Spirit. There can be no rebuilding of physical churches if the people are not renewed. A church without a community of faith is dead – reduced to a museum, it cannot give life to anyone. Sadly, this is what is happening in many parts of Europe, where churches look more like museums than places of worship. In big cathedrals and basilicas, one can find only a handful of elderly worshippers, and if we find young ones, they are mainly tourists. This is why we need to find ways to renew the faith of our people.
When faith is renewed, resources will never be lacking. As the Lord promised Haggai, “A little while now, and I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all the nations and the treasures of all the nations shall flow in, and I will fill this Temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts. Mine is the silver, mine the gold! It is the Lord of hosts who speaks. The new glory of this Temple is going to surpass the old, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place, I will give peace – it is the Lord of hosts who speaks.” Indeed, when we fill the Temple with His glory, that is, with life, faith, love, charity and inclusivity, funds will flow in – even without our asking. People will gladly give when they see the Church giving them life, passion, and meaning, helping them to build strong families, run profitable businesses that create jobs for many and build up the economy.
For this reason, the prophet Haggai said to the leaders and the people, “But take courage now, Zerubbabel – it is the Lord who speaks. Courage, High Priest Joshua son of Zehozadak! Courage, all you people of the country! – it is the Lord who speaks. To work! I am with you – it is the Lord of hosts who speaks – and my spirit remains among you. Do not be afraid!” God will work with us and through us. God who bestows His spirit on us will rouse up His people to build up His Church, excite them to participate in its mission, and give them the courage to move beyond mere maintenance to reach out to those who do not yet know Him and sharing the Good News.
Indeed, great things will happen when we take heed of the Lord’s call to cooperate with Him. Not only will our lives be changed, but also the lives of those around us. Churches that are concerned only with maintenance will eventually die, but those that are outward-looking, creative, and visionary, will grow. By serving not just their own members but also society at large–working in partnership with governments, civil organizations, businesses, and even other religions–the Church can once again radiate the Good News. When people witness the goodness of the Gospel lived out in Christians, they will, by God’s grace, come to faith in Christ.
Ultimately, we ourselves must first come to discover personally that Jesus is our Lord. In the Gospel we hear: “One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put his question to them, ‘Who do the crowds say I am?’ And they answered, ‘John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?'” Each of us must be able to answer from our own conviction who Jesus is, and not from hearsay, if we are to be powerful witnesses of our Lord. But confessing in Christ is more than a verbal confession, like Peter did. It calls for a full commitment to the identity and mission of our Lord, as the Lord said to Peter, “The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.”
Let us never lose hope, but take courage in the Lord as the prophet encourages us. With the psalmist, we say, “Hope in God; I will praise him still, my saviour and my God. O send forth your light and your truth; let these be my guide. Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. And I will come to the altar of God, the God of my joy.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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