Today we have two beautiful readings for us to ponder, deep in their spiritual significance and able to help us in our spiritual lives. The first reading comes from the prophet Haggai, and the second reading comes from the evangelist Saint Luke.
In the first reading, we hear about the Lord’s lament that they were procrastinating. His people were procrastinating whether or not to build the house of the Lord, to rebuild it because it was in ruins. Now, a little bit of context. Don’t forget that just prior to this, they were exiled in Babylon and then freed by the Emperor, King Cyrus, the Emperor of Persia, the founder of the Empire of Persia. They were allowed to go back to their homeland, to Jerusalem from Babylon, and to resettle and rebuild.
So what ended up happening was that they all got comfortable, resettled into their own homes, but they neglected the one home that matters the most: the temple of the Lord. Why? Because the temple of the Lord was a symbol of God’s presence with his people, and so that is priority number one for us. “Who is the Lord, the God who is able to do all things, who sustains us, who gives us all things?” Therefore, we ought to be grateful not just ten minutes during the day, but always and everywhere, because everything is his, including our lives and everything that is good within them.
And so the Lord laments: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: This people says, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’” But then the Lord says: “Consider your ways. Go up into the hill country, bring timber, and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory, says the Lord.” Again, the Lord, who does so much for us, requires thanksgiving, praise, adoration, worship—in keeping with what is right, what is good, and what is true.
In the Gospel, we hear about the Truth himself, Jesus Christ. This God who now does not descend to dwell within a temple, but within a human body. His presence among us arouses curiosity. People were asking: “Who is this? Who speaks with such authority? Who commands even the demons? Who is this, that even the wind and the seas obey him?” Who is this? asked Herod Antipas in today’s Gospel.
Herod Antipas, the son of King Herod the Great, was the tetrarch of Galilee, the overseer. He had a strong affiliation with the Roman government, the Roman Empire. And he believed that this miracle worker, this Jesus of Nazareth, might have been John risen from the dead. He was hearing people say this. He was also hearing people say that maybe this was the prophet Elijah returning, or one of the ancient prophets arisen from the dead.
And so he was curious. He was curious—but that is where it remained. And this is the tragedy for a lot of people. Something that could be life-giving—for the Lord is life—and when he enters our situations, our circumstances, he comes bearing the gift of life. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” says the Lord.
And so we need to transition from mere interest and procrastination—“Yes, build the house of the Lord; yes, get closer to Jesus”—to commitment: “Yes, I will rebuild the house of the Lord, which is my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is the Church—all of us gathered together, making this journey together, the new people of God.” And we must commit ourselves to love and serve him always, thereby giving him the glory that is his due.
May the Lord bless you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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