THE GLORY IN GOD'S DWELLING PLACE - 05/22/22 (Sixth Sunday of Easter)

Revelation 21:10-11

10 And in the Spirit He carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

John 14:23-24,27

23 Jesus answered him, "If a man loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

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https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

Blessed Sixth Sunday of Easter! In the second reading, St. John the Beloved gave us an imagery of New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. Because of the glory of God, the heavenly Jerusalem is radiant lile a most rare jewel. It's such a beautiful image because the heavenly Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God, reflects God's glory. This imagery of Jerusalem is manifested also in every Church. The tabernacle contains the fullness of God's glory because the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, dwells in it. What St. John saw in his visions, we can also see with the eyes of our faith. 

If the Church, where Jesus is really present with the Father and the Holy Spirit, is a very holy place, then what is our disposition when we enter the Church before, during, and after the Holy Mass? Sometimes, we go to the Mass late or we may also leave very early without any good reason. The Mass is not just an ordinary activity. It is the greatest honor we can give to God by participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where our Lord is truly present. Maybe, we do not yet ponder on the sacredness of the Mass which is why we do not prepare our souls through prayer before attending it. Even if our conscience is not yet disturbed, we should recognize that the lack of devotion inside the Church is also a lack of devotion to God Himself. 

As what our Lord tells us in the gospel reading, His peace that He gives to us is different from the peace that the world offers. It's not an authentic peace if we may feel it's "ok" to not be attentive every Mass. True peace comes when we open our hearts to Jesus by submitting to His will. Another reason why we come to the Mass is to be the dwelling place of God by receiving Jesus, who is united with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We are the holy temple of God. Because of this, we reflect the glory of God, most especially after we receive Him during the Holy Communion. 

To see more clearly God's glory inside the Church, we should have one intention of going there, and that is to love God. Our Lord is calling us to be fully united to Him by being faithful to our Catholic Faith as we receive His Body. In this way, the Holy Communion becomes the means of our union with the Mystical Body of Christ, His glorious Church. At the same time, Jesus wants us to not be distracted willingly by showing reverence and by looking at Him in front of the Tabernacle. Sometimes, we may dwell on the distractions from other Churchgoers or from our cell phones, but our Lord Jesus wants us to dwell on Him alone. He wants us to look at Him with love as He looks at us with His Infinite Mercy from the Tabernacle. 

The glory of God is not just found in heaven and the Church. The fullness of God's glory is present within us as we partake of the Body and Blood of Jesus in the state of grace. What is our disposition when we enter a Church? Do we think it's just a custom that we do? Is it easy for us to entertain distractions from people inside the Church or with our phones? Our faith and love for God should be manifested in our interior and exterior devotion. True peace that comes from Christ is really present if we desire to see God's glory with the eyes of faith. In this way, everytime we enter the Church and participate in the Mass, we join the angels and saints in heaven who are praising God with all of our hearts. 

Amen +

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic