Saint for the day: Wenceslaus (c. 907 – 929)
Scripture Readings for today’s Liturgy:
Haggai 1:1-8 – Psalm 149:1 …6…0 Luke 9:7-9
“Pampering ourselves while neglecting the Lord!” – Do we let Jesus come into our lives?
The verse that was on my 1st Vows card from Psalm 27: “One thing I ask of the Lord, and this I seek, to live in the House of the Lord all my days,” fits right in with our first reading.
What does it mean to “build a House for the Lord?” We know that, besides this reference about that subject, that elsewhere God says, “Who do you think you are to build ME a house?” So we can ponder this and see where it takes us.
In the first place it is a matter of where we put our energies. Today’s reading chastises the people for pampering themselves at the expense of neglecting attention to God: “…how can you panel our own houses while the House of the Lord is in ruins. Here we’re talking about making a “House for the Lord” within our own person. We know that we are created in the image and likeness of God and are “temples of the HS.” Therefore, the “House of the Lord” that we are to build is within. Even the words of Jesus, “the Kingdom of Heaven is within make this clear.
In the Gospel, Herod is ‘curious’ about who Jesus is. He wonders if it is St. John B come back to life. Interesting that he considers “resurrection” as a possibility even before the reality of Jesus is known. But the trouble with Herod is that he never goes far enough into the matter to make any difference in his life. This might be a warning to all of us to “seek the Lord while He may be found” and know that “our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.” Herod is restless but has not had a conversion experience to move him to the next step. His conscience bothers him but not enough to make a difference. Here, the words of Dominic might be helpful, “I want only to either speak to or about God!” which will build that “House of the Lord” within. Amen!