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The Time After Pentecost
of stone. If we are the dwelling place, the temple of God, then we are God’s property. “He will
dwell in them; and they shall be His people” (Epistle). We are a holy place where God Himself
dwells and works. We are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who loves good and hates evil; we
are the children of almighty God, who protects us, takes us by the hand, and leads us safely
through the perilous way of life. God lives in us through His inexhaustible love. He forgives us;
He gives us power to do good; He makes our sacrifices sweet and the burden of life easy. What
have we to fear? Why should we be anxious if we believe that God dwells in our heart? “This
day is salvation come to this house.”
Let us be most grateful. “The half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any
man of anything, I restore him fourfold” (Gospel). The presence of the Lord in his house makes
Zachaeus so happy that he loses his taste for earthly goods and treasures. He accepts joyfully the
favor Christ shows him. As we become aware of the indwelling of God, we withdraw ourselves
from worldly pursuits ever more and more. We become men of the spirit, communing with God
in intimate prayer and listening intently to His voice. We receive His inspirations and admonitions
with joy. We live in the light which God gives us, and we see in all that the day brings the hand of
His providence, shaping all things to our best interest. He speaks to us, consoles us, and gives us
light and grace. He takes us under His special care that we may escape the dangers which menace
us. He gives us delight in His mysteries and “the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding”
(Phil 4:7). Truly has “salvation come to this house.” God Himself has made His abode in us. How
empty and vain are all other goods in comparison to the possession of God!
“This day is salvation come to this house,” the temple of my soul. “This day,” in the celebration
of the Holy Eucharist and in Holy Communion, He enters our house and we are renewed. In
gratitude for such a favor we should be able to say with Zachaeus: “The half of my goods I give
to the poor.” Filled with the Spirit of Christ, we should be generous and charitable to the poor,
to our brethren in Christ. That must be the fruit of Holy Communion.
“You are a temple of the living God.” We are not sufficiently conscious of our dignity as
baptized Christians, as tabernacles of the most holy Trinity, as thrones of the Godhead. How
pure and how well ordered must be the tabernacle of the Most Holy! “Holiness becometh Thy
house, O Lord” (Ps 92:5). Holy must be our thoughts, our passions, our wishes, our words,
our works, our motions, our whole conduct. “For the temple of God is holy, which you are”
(1 Cor 3:17).
“You are the temple of the living God.” Our fellow men are also temples of God, and we
must see God in all men: in our fellow workers, in children, in the poor, in the wretched and
despised. And we must also treat them with respect and reverence, “For the temple of God is
holy, which you are.”
Prayer
O God, who from living and chosen stones dost prepare an eternal dwelling place for Thy majesty,
assist Thy suppliant people, that Thy Church, while benefiting by material enlargement,
may also expand by spiritual increase. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Postcommunion.)
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