The psalm response at liturgy today is from Psalm 84: "How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!" The psalm sings the praises of the courts of the Lord. "I had rather one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere ..." says the psalmist. To dwell with the Lord in his house is to experience beauty.
Solomon built a magnificent temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. It was a temple for the Ark that contained the Tablets of the Law which came from God. It was, for God's people, a sign of his presence and of his choosing of them as his very own people. Even though much more permanent, the temple was still a transitional home, like the tent that covered the Ark. God could not be contained, and yet God chose to be present.
God chose to dwell within us, in our hearts, within our spirits. It is not the Tent or the Temple or the building that really matters, but rather the receptivity of our hearts to the presence and love of God. It is not so much the external, but rather the internal that matters, as Jesus told the people. We are the temples of God's Spirit.
The use of incense is often captured in the media when there is a "church story". It seems like the only thing we do ... it seems mysterious. Even as Catholics we are often confused as to why we use incense. At funerals, when I incense the body, if I get those confused looks or the coughing, I'll sometimes tell the people that incense has been used since ancient times to honor that which is set apart for the gods ... and that we use it here to reverence the body of the person that has for these many years been the temple of the Holy Spirit. God has dwelt and still dwells within, and how lovely is his dwelling place!
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I had the school Mass at Queen of Angels this afternoon. Always a great experience.
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