“I have truly built You a princely house, a dwelling where You may abide forever.” —1 Kgs 8:13

Everything Solomon created — the magnificent Temple building, the great architecture, ornate decorations, and countless sacrifices — pointed toward the moment of the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant. When the ark was placed in the Temple, it meant that God now dwelt within its walls (1 Kgs 8:11-13).
The people of Israel were caught up in the excitement of God dwelling in their midst. The dedication of the Jerusalem Temple was the apex of Israel’s history; from that point, everything went downhill. They delighted in the trappings of worship, but their lifestyles showed that they were interested only in giving the Lord “lip-service” rather than “life-service” (see Mk 7:6; Is 29:13). Solomon’s pride and disobedience mirrored that of all Israel and sowed the seeds of civil war. The Lord Who dwells with His people delights in humility and obedience; Solomon and many other worshippers instead gave the Lord pride and disobedience.
It is good that our Church buildings contain beauty befitting the glory and majesty of Almighty God. It is also fitting that those who enter the Church buildings worship God with hearts full of love and lives of obedient faith (Rm 1:5). Jesus reveals that God is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and truth (Jn 4:23). Humble yourself in God’s sight (1 Pt 5:6), especially by obeying His commandments (Jn 15:10). Rebuild the Church by your loving reverence and obedience.

Prayer: Father, may I obey You so that my light might shine before all so they will give glory to You (Mt 5:16).
Promise: “All who touched Him got well.” —Mk 6:56
Praise: St. Scholastica left her family to found a religious community.

February 10, 2014 by dgcree

The martyrs’ deaths are made precious by the death of Christ

From a sermon
by Saint Augustine
[ 354 – 430 A.D. ]

Through such glorious deeds of the holy martyrs, with which the Church blossoms everywhere, we prove with our own eyes how true it is, as we have just been singing, that precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints; seeing that it is precious both in our sight and in the sight of him for the sake of whose name it was undertaken. But the price of these deaths is the death of one man. How many deaths were bought with one dying man, who was the grain of wheat that would not have been multiplied if he had not died! You have heard his words when he was drawing near to our passion, that is, when he was drawing near to our redemption: Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
On the cross, you see, Christ transacted a grand exchange; it was there that the purse containing our price was untied; when his side was laid open by the lance of the executioner, there poured out from it the price of the whole wide world. The faithful were bought, and the martyrs; but the faith of the martyrs has been proved, and their blood is the witness to it. The martyrs have paid back what was spent for them, and they have fulfilled what Saint John says: Just as Christ laid down his life for us, so we too should lay down our lives for the brethren. And in another place it says, You have sat down at a great table; consider carefully what is set before you, since you ought to prepare the same kind of thing yourself. It is certainly a great table, where the Lord of the table is himself the banquet. No-one feeds his guests on himself; that is what the Lord Christ did, being himself the host, himself the food and drink. Therefore the martyrs recognised what they ate and drank, so that they could give back the same kind of thing.
But from where could they give back the same kind of thing, if the one who made the first payment had not given them the means of giving something back? What shall I pay back to the Lord for all the things he has paid back to me? I will receive the cup of salvation. What is this cup? The bitter but salutary cup of suffering, the cup which the invalid would fear to touch if the doctor did not drink it first. That is what this cup is; we can recognise this cup on the lips of Christ, when he says, Father, if it can be so, let this cup pass from me. It is about this cup that the martyrs said, I will receive the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.
So are you not afraid of failing at this point? No? Why not? Because I will call upon the name of the Lord. How could the martyrs ever conquer, unless that one conquered in them who said Rejoice, since I have conquered the world? The emperor of the heavens was governing their minds and tongues, and through them overcoming the devil on earth and crowning the martyrs in heaven. O, how blessed are those who drank this cup thus! They have finished with suffering and have received honour instead.