Reading 1 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD
in the presence of the whole community of Israel,
and stretching forth his hands toward heaven,
he said, "LORD, God of Israel,
there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart.
"Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, O LORD, my God,
and listen to the cry of supplication which I, your servant,
utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon."
Responsorial Psalm Ps 84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11
R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young?
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
O God, behold our shield,
and look upon the face of your anointed.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
Gospel Mk 7:1-13
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
In vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say,
"How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
'If someone says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things."
Meditation: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
Can it be that God dwells among men and women on earth?” (1 Kings 8:27)
Building the Temple was King Solomon’s greatest achievement. Solomon knew it was a pivotal sacred space, a place of pilgrimage for the entire nation of Israel. God’s presence there was guaranteed; it was the one place his people could count on encountering him. But at the same time, he was keenly aware of God’s transcendence: “Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27).
Solomon’s prayer also recognized repentance and forgiveness as the fulcrum on which everything turned. If the people were suffering at the hands of an enemy or natural disaster, the king was to urge them to turn away from their sins and implore God’s mercy (1 Kings 8:33-40). If someone is accused of a crime against his neighbor, justice will be accomplished in the Temple, whether by vindicating the innocent or offering sacrifice on behalf of the guilty (8:31-32).
In the Gospel, Jesus confronted “hypocrites” who ignore this fundamental need for repentance and who substitute superficial human traditions for obedience to the spirit and the letter of God’s law. Their concern for ritual external cleansing harbored ugliness in their thoughts and attitudes. Sadly, the prophetic word that should have called them to repentance merely glances off them.
We all have places where we can count on meeting God: the church building where we celebrate Mass, the tabernacle where we adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, or the prayer corner at home where we ponder Scripture. We rightly reverence these sacred spaces, but sometimes we may need to remember that God transcends all of them. Sometimes he invites us simply to rest in his presence. Sometimes he pierces our hearts with a single word or phrase from Scripture, the liturgy, or a conversation with a friend. Sometimes he confronts us in the distressing disguise of the needy.
This is the beauty and excitement of life in the Spirit. Jesus is so big that we will never be able to contain him. So keep your heart open. You never know when he’s going to surprise you with his presence!
“Lord, I am overwhelmed that you dwell in me. Let nothing distract me from the powerful reality of your personal love.”
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