Rooted
and Grounded
"You
are God's Building"
The vision statement of "His Global Love" prayer apostolate
reads:
'To
form the hearts of God's people through a deep, personal relationship with God
so that they may become, within themselves, a "house of prayer for all
peoples".'
This reference to "house of
prayer" comes from Is. 56:7, "for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples." This house of prayer originally referred to God's temple in
Jerusalem. The exterior facade of the original temple in Jerusalem that King
Solomon had overseen the construction of ("the temple I have built in your
honor" (1 Kings 8:48)) was adorned with gold. This was intentional. For, at
sunrise each day as the sun's rays struck the gold the overwhelming brightness
of the reflected light was such that the temple appeared to be on fire. After
all, the temple was said to be the place of God's presence and fire expresses
God's holiness and love. This house of prayer appeared to be a "house of fire".
King Solomon may have had in mind the history of his people and Moses' first
encounter with God on Mt. Horeb (Ex.3:1-2) in fire flaming out of a burning
bush, or how God led his people through the desert journey as a column of fire
at night. Neither Moses nor King Solomon could have imagined, however, that one
day this fire of God's presence would dwell within human beings beginning at
Pentecost. No more fiery facades, but now fire within! Each person in the upper
room on the day of Pentecost would become in themselves a "house of prayer", a
"house of fire". This is our calling, too.
Historically, we know that
for all of its grandeur and splendor King Solomons' temple was destroyed by the
Babylonians during the time of the Babylonian exile. Even the second temple
would be destroyed by the Romans in 70a.d. In John 2:19-21, in the scene of
Jesus' cleansing of the temple, he speaks forth an amazing revelation: "Destroy
this temple and in three days I will raise it up…he was speaking about the
temple of his body" (verses 19,21). Indeed Jesus, the "true Solomon" had
"built this temple for himself" in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a
temple of perfect praise and worship to the Father. Jesus is the "temple" not
made by human hands. In his life one sees fulfilled the prophetic words that
God had spoken centuries earlier through the Prophet Haggai: "Greater will be
the future glory of this house than the former, says the LORD of
hosts."(Haggai 2:9). Truly the "house" of Jesus' body, the body of the only Son
of the Father, bears the glory of the divine Spirit: "Blessed are you in the
temple of your holy glory" (Dan. 3:53).
One of the most amazing
truths about the Sacrament of Christian Baptism is that at our baptism we
begin to "house" Jesus in his Spirit within ourselves. When we speak of our
becoming within ourselves a "house of prayer for all peoples" we are saying
that we "house" the sacred presence of God within ourselves: My heart becomes a
"tabernacle" of his divine presence. St. Paul speaks of this to the Corinthians
when he says to them, "For the temple of God, which you are, is holy"
(1Cr.3:17); and, "a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:22); and, "You
are…God's building" (1Cr. 3:9). Each of us must be formed through the help of
God's grace to grow in the awareness of this baptismal truth. The heart of the
formation process of "His Global Love" Ministry is focused on the
transformation of lives. The word, transformation, is another word for the
word, change. A true Christian is really a converted--a changed--human being:
One who has experienced an interior change of heart and mind. This is certainly
so for a contemplative intercessor. As one grows in his/her faith one should
begin to believe more and more in the truth that they "house" the sacred
presence of God within themselves. The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of the
Father and Jesus, is the fire within us. At some point in our faith journey we
hopefully begin to realize that we exist to serve the "life", the sacred
presence, of the One who now lives within us through the Sacrament of Baptism.
One way in which to serve this life of Jesus within us is to live an
intercessory lifestyle of praise and prayer with a willingness to pray for "all
peoples" (Is. 56:7). Hopefully, each of us can experience the joy of belonging
to God completely, living as God's "house of prayer", interceding as led by the
Holy Spirit, and radiating the fire of God's holiness and love for all people.
Scriptures:
Luke 2:49; 2Cr.13:5
Questions:
1.
How on fire for God and for the salvation of
souls am I?
2.
Where in my life may I be resisting interior
change in my heart and mind?
