11/9/14

I've been trying to practice with the St. Francis prayer this week with limited success. It's hard for me to maintain a prayerful attitude for long, and being an instrument of peace isn't particularly easy for me; but when I have, I notice a difference in myself and my interactions with people. I hope I can stick with it.

Yesterday, I wandered into the Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing and picked up a copy of Anthony Meisel and M. L. del Mastro's translation of The Rules of St. Benedict. I've been looking at it for a while; and now that I'm almost to the end of The Sign of Jonas, it felt like a good time to familiarize myself with the foundation of Cistercian monasticism.

At mass today, the readings were about buildings, and specifically temples, it being the feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. The first, from Ezekiel 47, contained the image of life-giving water flowing from under the threshold of the temple, which freshens the polluted waters of the sea. The second was from 1 Corinthians, where St. Paul talks about being temples of God in which the spirit of God dwells. And the third was the famous scene of Jesus overturning the money-changers' table, and where he says, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

Fr. Michael's homily started with reaffirming that we are a dwelling place of God, that the kingdom of heaven is within us. When Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up," he wasn't referring to the temple of Jerusalem, but to himself. And in commemorating a physical building, Fr. Michael offered that it's not what goes into a building that's important, it's what comes out. We go in to celebrate and to be strengthened, and we come out to live what we celebrate within—love.

After the service, I talked to a number of people and was surprised by how many recognized me and knew my name. Most were from the B- group and the inquiry class, but a few were new. It was nice. It made me feel like part of the community. I've quickly grown to look forward to Wednesdays and Sundays.