Fifth Sunday of Easter

“Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”

God’s dwelling is within us. Our hearts are supposed to be His Holy Temples. Our minds are called to be home to His Word. Our spirits are meant to be resting places for our Lord and God. He entrusted His Divine Image within each and every one of us. He has given us the Body and Blood of His Beloved Son to become a part of us. He wants us to be living tabernacles, bearing Him into the world through our thoughts, words, and works. However, in order to do this, we must prepare ourselves. We must be holy, loving, merciful. We must imitate the Holy Trinity in all things. We must be protective of the weak like the Father. We must be kind and compassionate like Jesus. We must be on fire with charitable love like the Holy Spirit. Only then will every tear be wiped away and the old order of sin pass away into the new order of salvation.

Have we prepared our hearts, minds, and spirits to be dwelling places for the Lord? What can we do to make ourselves more welcoming to God’s Divine Presence in our lives? How can we help others do the same?

O Lord, behold, our hearts are yours! Dwell within them always.

Amen.

Seventeenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Then the cloud covered the meeting tent, and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling. Moses could not enter the meeting tent, because the cloud settled down upon it and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling. Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling, the children of Israel would set out on their journey. But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward; only when it lifted did they go forward.

Our bodies, minds, and hearts should be like the Dwelling Moses built for the Ark of the Covenant. They should be places where God is made present through our thoughts, words, and works. God should be able to settle within us and His Glory shine through us. His Holy Spirit should lead us on our faith journey, inspiring us to do good and avoid evil. We cannot make ourselves into a Dwelling of the Lord without being faithful, hopeful, and loving. We also must be humble enough to allow Him to fill us with His Will so that we might go forth into the world and bear Him to those in most need of His Love and Mercy. We cannot be resting places for the Lord, if we do not do our best to cleanse ourselves of imperfections, weaknesses, and sins. God understands we are not perfect, he does not expect us to be so, but He does expect us to be welcoming of Him and to desire to make our hearts into places worthy of Him just as Mary and Joseph did their best to prepare the humble manger for the arrival of this son and Savior.

In what ways do we prepare ourselves to be Dwellings for God? What can we do to cleanse ourselves of those things that keep us from being worthy resting places for our Heavenly Father? Are we willing to let God determine how we proceed in our lives?

O Lord, settle upon our hearts and fill them with your glory.

Amen.