I had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. – Psalm 84:10

       Nowadays, the word “busy” is part of everyone’s vocabulary. It seems like 24 hours in a day is not enough for the oh-so-many things we need to do!

       This is certainly the case for me, so whenever I feel discouraged or overwhelmed by the seemingly endless items on my to-do list as a work-at-home, homeschooling mom of three kids with no helper or nanny, I remind myself to thank God for the life that I have.

       I also try to sing praise songs like “One Day” by Hillsong, which is based on the verse above. Doing this prompts me to focus on the end-goal of everything I do: heaven.

       Let me share some of the lyrics of “One Day”: “More than I could hope or dream of / You have poured Your favor on me / One day in the house of God is better than a thousand days in the world / So blessed, I can’t contain it / So much, I’ve got to give it away / Your love taught me to live now. You are more than enough for me.”

Pope Francis Says: “Jesus uses the image of the vine and the branches and says, ‘Abide in My love, remain attached to Me, as the branch is attached to the vine.’ If we are joined to Him, then we are able to bear fruit.”

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company. (Prayer of St. Pio of Pietrelcina after Communion)

St. Jerome Emiliani, pray for us.

In the dedication of the Temple, Solomon prays to the Lord that the Temple be a place of dwelling for God and also a symbol of His presence within the hearts of the people. His prayer is a wonderful example of faith. Unfortunately, during his reign, Solomon compromises his faith by allowing the people to worship foreign gods for the sake of alliances and peace among neighboring countries.

1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30

22 Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of the whole community of Israel, and stretching forth his hands toward heaven, 23 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. 27 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! 28 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. 29 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. 30 Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel that they offer in this place. Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon.”

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5, 10, 11

R: How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

2 [3] My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. (R) 3 [4] 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) 4[5] Blessed are they who dwell in your house! Continually they praise you. 9 [10] O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of your anointed. (R) 10 [11] 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)

What is more important — a clean and pure heart as the basis of our motivation, or clean hands with which to eat? The symbolism of clean hands and arms is nothing compared to a heart that is pure and clean and on fire with the love of God. Let us strive for deeper conversion to Christ and not be satisfied with the external symbols of our faith.

Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees; and favor me with your law.

1 When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, 2 they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 3 (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. 4 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.) 5 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?” 6 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; 7 In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. 8 You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” 9 He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! 10 For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and Whoever curses father or mother shall die. 11 Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’ (meaning, dedicated to God), 12 you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. 13 You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”

think: Let us strive for deeper conversion to Christ.

Thank You Lord for: __________________

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR 2 Corinthians 1-4

AT HOME WITH GOD

I was once summoned for a sick call in a big and famous city in the US East Coast. It was the middle of winter and the sick woman lived with the rest of her family in the poorer side of the town. The house had no central heating except for an ancient looking furnace in the living room. That was where they all huddled and slept throughout the winter months. The heart of the close-knit family was right there, near or around the hearth.

       Home was where hearth and heart were. In that little living space, there was room enough for the heat that warmed the body, and there, too, was room enough for the warmth that blazed in each one’s heart, gathered around their sick mother. Home was where mother was, and where the hearth was in place and where everyone’s heart was in the right place. It was the perfect setting for prayer. It became, for me, both the sign and reality of what we read today about Solomon and his very warm and tender prayer of faith.

       Solomon was at home where God dwelt. His heart warmed up right before the hearth where God’s love blazed — “before the altar of the Lord.”  God dwelt amidst His people, close enough for the likes of Solomon to burst forth confidently in plaintive prayer of petition and worship.

       The beautiful experience now open to so many of us, priests and laity alike, is being “at home with God” in prayer where His heart reigns supreme and the hearth-like cocoon of His love is deeply seen and felt. In perpetual adoration chapels all over the country, Solomon’s privilege becomes our unique and welcome grace daily.

       But love received is love shared. It is never kept for one’s self alone. Being at home with God does not mean being self-absorbed. Solomon teaches us what this at-home-ness leads to — worship of God and prayer for others. “There is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below... Listen to the petitions of Your servant and people.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Where and how do you feel most at home with God?