Last Sunday the focus of the Church was on the Church of St John Lateran. Today the focus of the disciples is on the Temple in Jerusalem: "When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God." (Lk 21: 3) Both of these buildings and indeed all buildings will ultimately pass away along with the rest of Creation. These sacred buildings prefigure the heavenly realities as does the liturgy of the Mass. In the Letter to the Hebrews we hear: "But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made from hands, that is, not of this creation, he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." (Heb 9: 11-12) Let us not be carried away by the passing attractions of possessions, which charm with their status and glamour, especially as our society begins to advertise Christmas and the commercialism that informs the atheistic celebration of it. Our focus needs to be on the intangible realities which are articulated by the faith we share: "For we know that the earthly tent in which we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling - if indeed, when we have taken it off, we will not be found to be naked," (2 Cor 5: 1-3)
No comments:
Post a Comment