St. Alphonsus Liguouri, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

While I was reflecting on today’s first reading, I couldn’t help but think about the little box in which I keep a random collection of bits and pieces, trinkets, medals and letters that remind me of special moments. In a way, that little treasure box is the dwelling place for the physical representations of my special memories. This, in turn, made me think of other dwelling places….my apartment, my mind, my heart, my soul, and the kingdom of God. These are dwelling places that are no doubt sacred spaces. Have I cared for them as I should? What are our sacred spaces built with? Who or what dwells in our sacred spaces? Who guards it? Is there room for God in our dwelling place or in what we call our sacred spaces? It is as if the instructions given to Moses are also for us today and God is saying, child of mine, build a dwelling place for the living word, build it sturdy and secure so that it is not corrupted, but ensure that day or night, light or dark, its presence and tangibility can be felt throughout your life journey.

Speaking of dwelling places and sacred spaces, in today’s Gospel, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a dwelling place for the good…...for the righteous. In the kingdom of heaven, that which we consider old, and that which we consider new, shall be gathered together as the same; and what is necessary will be kept, while what is not necessary for the vitality of the soul shall be thrown away. The kingdom of heaven is here; let us be conscious of the cloud we unknowingly allow to settle down upon it, because when clouds take up space, we are unable to move forward in our life journey; it is difficult to see; it is treacherous for movement. This is the case with any dwelling place, we must clear out the clutter, remove the cloud, sort what is needed from what is wanted, take stock of the content, and make it sacred space where the glory of God can be experienced. We are living temples, a dwelling place for God; let us clear out the clutter and make room for love, for peace, and for God.