Tag: The Temple

Ezra 6: Rebuilding
Ezra 6: Rebuilding

Saturday, September 6, 2025

Written on January 8 and posted today as a Favorite . . .

The house is to be rebuilt . . .

Habitat for Humanity Volunteers rebuild after a disaster in Nepal

We are so often exhausted by life’s demands that we cannot experience joy when we hear good news . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

In today’s Noontime, King Darius reiterates the original command given by King Cyrus . . . the house is to be rebuilt. Nehemiah, the administrator, and Ezra, the priest, set about restoring the city and temple in Jerusalem. They travel through dangerous territory and carry with them a letter of safe-passage from their former enemy. They arrive in Jerusalem to find a pile of rubble so dense that horses cannot find a pathway – they must pick their way on foot through toppled stone. They return from exile most likely drained of energy, but there is hope and even joy because . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

I am struck by the concordance of the instructions in the decree we read today with the original description of the temple that Solomon built which we read in 1 Kings 7. God does not forget his promise to the Jewish nation that . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

Nor does God forget all that God has promised us, his daughters and his sons. Just like the destroyed temple, we too will be rebuilt and in fact are being rebuilt each day. We are the temple in which the Spirit dwells, and as the cares of the world tear at its pillars and nibble at is foundation, Jesus becomes the master planner who constantly offers to help us reconstruct. His constant attention and love remind us that . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

I am thinking of Psalms 126 and 127. Those who go out weeping return singing . . . we labor in vain unless the Lord is the master builder of our house.

Whatever our flaws, whatever our sorrows, all will be converted to joy for we are promised that . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

Whatever our obstacles, whatever our fears, they become our stepping stones to serenity once we remember that . . . the house is to be rebuilt.

A re-post from August 14, 2011.

For more on how Habitat for Humanity rebuilds after disasters, click on the image or visit: https://www.habitat.org/ap/our-work/rebuilding-after-disasters
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September 6, 2025

1 Kings 7, builders, Darius, Ezra, fear, God the Father, Jesus, Jesus as the Master Builder, joy, Nehemiah, Psalms 126-127, serenity, Spirit, The Temple
Psalm 27: Seek Trust – God’s Face
Psalm 27: Seek Trust – God’s Face

Morgan Weistling: Kissing the Face of God

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

This is one of my favorite Psalms. The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge, of whom am I afraid?

We all seek God’s face. This is what we miss so much in our pilgrimage on this planet. Where do we find this face? The psalmist tells us: In the temple.

This week’s Mass readings are from Exodus and we hear again the story of how Moses erected a desert tent as the temple that housed the covenant promise that the people held with God. And God came down to speak with Moses and to the people in the form of a fiery column of smoke. This column was both guide and protector. The temple eventually traveled to various cities in the Kingdom of Israel, Jericho, Shiloh, and others, until it eventually rested in Jerusalem – where it ceased to travel and became permanent . . . and corrupt.

The Messiah arrived to replace that temple and to tell us that each one of us is a temple – to be kept holy and sacred for the Spirit’s in-dwelling, to be God’s presence in a struggling world. And this is what we agree to as part of our own personal covenant with our creator. That we will trust God and live in accordance with God’s statutes, that we will love God and practice the Greatest Commandment daily, that we will do our best to be People of Hope as we follow The Way that Jesus walked while here on earth. As the psalmist says, I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. And the sacrifices I offer are the little and big trials which I undergo daily.

We are all apostles sent forth with this message. We are journeying together with a clear map to follow. Again the psalmist, aware that enemies lurk along the roadside, says, Lord, show me your way; lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

The final exhortation sung by the psalmist is, Wait for the Lord, take courage; be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!

And the people say . . . Amen.

Adapted from a Favorite written on August 2, 2007.

Image from: https://artusa.com/product/kissing-the-face-of-god/
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December 11, 2024

courage, Exodus, Moses, The Covenant, The Temple, the Tent, The Way
Nehemiah 12:44-47 – Their Due Portion – A Reprise
Nehemiah 12:44-47

Their Due Portion

Thursday, October 10, 2024

A reprise from October 28, 2013.

The whole of Israel used to give the cantors and gatekeepers their due portion for each day.

Nehemiah describes not only the restoration of the Temple when the exiles return from their place of deportation; Nehemiah also explains that the rites and rituals were also restored. All those who officiate at liturgies are to receive their due portion. In return, the Levites, the sons of Aaron and all those who make liturgy possible are to perform their duties. Nehemiah not only rebuilt walls and external structures, he rebuilt internal structures as well.

Nehemiah’s Temple

God says: Each of you deserves your due portion. When you insist on having less or more you upset your natural balance. When you take more than your share you deny others of the goodness I have in store for them. When you take less, you deny the gift you are to the world. When you corrupt yourself or others you corrupt the vessel that contains hope for the world. When you deny yourself or others you also deny me. Carry out the task shown to you. Fulfill the hope planted in you. Come to me with your questions and concerns. Rather than take more or less than is meant for you, rather than fill your barns to bursting or depleting your energies until you are fully spent . . . receive your due portion and remain in the truth. This is where your true treasure lies.

Jesus reminds us that the measure we measure with is measured out to us. (Luke 6:38) He also reminds us that where our heart lies, there will be our treasure. (Luke 12:34)

Images from: https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/bs-solomon-temple-outer/ and https://www.windowintothebible.com/the-temple-built-by-solomon

For more information on the duties of gatekeepers, go to: http://prepareforthelamb.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/gatekeepers-watchmen-you-are-to-speak-out-the-lord-has-called-you-out-to-be-bold-today/

For more information on the Second Temple, click on the image of Nehemiah’s Temple or go to: http://michaelruark.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/there-is-enough-room-for-both/
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October 10, 2024

exile, liturgy, Luke 12:34, Luke 6:38, restoration, The Temple, treasure, truth
Ezekiel 43: God’s Glory Returns
Ezekiel 43: God’s Glory Returns

National Geographic: Ruins of Roman Archway in Tyre, Lebanon

Friday, May 24, 2024

As a counterbalance to the description of the downfall of Tyre on which we have reflected before, today we have a description of the temple in the New Jerusalem. What we see described here is God living with all of the Israelites forever. The man leading the prophet through this beautiful scenario says: Describe the temple to the people of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their sins. Let them consider the plan, and if they are ashamed of all they have done, make known to them the design of the temple – its arrangements, its exits and entrances – its whole design and all its regulations and laws. Write these down before them so that they may be faithful to its design and follow all its regulations. This portion of Ezekiel’s prophecy is full of detailed descriptions of the place and the people who make up this new city where God dwells forever with his people. It was meant to both instruct and to bring comfort to those who lived in exile with this prophet. The footnotes in the NAB point out that in the new Israel the temple is free, even physically, from civil jurisdiction – moving away from the habit of corrupt kings like Ahaz and Manasseh who treated it as a private chapel for pagan rites.

Noam Chen: Old City of Jerusalem

When Jesus arrived on the scene hundreds of years later as the true Messiah, he upset much of this separatist and purist thinking. It was for his openness and universality that he was hunted down, condemned and put to death. Because his new Law of Love fulfilled and superseded the old Law of Moses, he and his apostles were hounded out of towns and executed. Even in the early Christian church we see the struggle with this idea of openness and universality with the first Council which convened in Jerusalem to determine the importance of circumcision as a requirement for church membership. After discussion, and when the dust settles, we read in Acts that circumcision was not determined necessary. God’s church is open to Gentile and Jew, slave or free, woman or man – to all those who will be faithful to the Covenant first established with Adam and Eve.

This is how we see the New Temple and the New Jerusalem as revealed by Ezekiel millennia ago. This place of worship where God dwells is where we live even today, if we might only choose to open our eyes and ears to it. This prophet was painting a picture of radiance for his exiled people, and they must have taken heart at the memories these words stirred of how it is to gather together as Yahweh’s faithful to repent, to petition, to give thanks, to worship.

As Easter people who believe in the Resurrected Jesus, we too, can relax into these images and make them our own. We can carry them into the world with us each day as we encounter and then counter the darkness that wishes to prevail. We can arm ourselves with these pictures of the universal gathering of all of God’s People, the Faithful to the Covenant, the Hopeful in all things hopeless, the Truthful in all relationships, the Struggling with the cares of this world, the Freed who have escaped the chains of doubt and anxiety. For we are Easter people who live the Resurrection even now. For God’s Glory has returned in us in our willingness to serve, our willingness to be vulnerable, our willingness to witness, our willingness to be Christ and Light and Truth to a world struggling to be free of the darkness.

This is God’s Plan. This is God’s Design. This is God’s Law.

Amen. Alleluia!

A Favorite from April 13, 2008.

For a Noontime reflection on Tyre, enter the word in the blog search bar and explore.

For more National Geographic images of Lebanon, click on the image above or visit: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/lebanon-photos#/archway-roman-ruins-tyre-lebanon
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May 24, 2024

Ahaz, covenant, darkness versus light, Easter People, God’s plan, hope, Law of Love, Manasseh, New Temple, resurrected Christ, The Temple, truth, Tyre
Ezra 6: 19-23: Marvels – Part V
Ezra 6: 19-23: Marvels – Part V

Monday, November 20, 2023

Dedication of the Temple

God had changed the mind of the king of Assyria to the Israelites in rebuilding The Temple of God, the God of Israel.

God says: My faithful celebrated when the Emperor of Syria released them from bondage, for they saw my hand in that marvel. My faithful returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple where they and I communed. Today I invite you to open hour own heart to me so that I might build my New Temple within.

Then the Israelites who had returned from exile, along with everyone who had removed themselves from the abuses of the nations to join them and seek God, the God of Israel, ate the Passover. With great joy they celebrated.

God says: My faithful returned from exile to celebrate with me in great joy for the marvel of their return. They believed that I lived only in their Temple but I have come to walk among you to reveal greater marvels than you even imagined. I come as one of you to live with you, to eat and drink with you, to pray and play with you. I have come to write a New Covenant with you and to write in on your heart.

With joy they celebrated . . .

God says: I know that there are many days and many nights when my marvels and miracles fade from your memory but despite this dwindling, I urge you to remain in me. For I will always remain in you. Exchange your old wine skins for new ones so that I might live in you forever.

With joy they celebrated the marvels their God had done for them.

For more on Darius, the King of Assyria, click on the Temple image above, or visit: http://bibleencyclopedia.com/pictures/Ezra_6_Dedication_of_the_temple.htm

Other images from: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/08/22/what-is-the-difference-between-new-wine-and-old-wine-in-the-bible/ and https://gjcoc.us/the-new-covenant-is-here/
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November 20, 2023

celebration, Israelites, Jeremiah 31:31-34, King Darius, King of Assyria, Matthew 9:17, new covenant, The Temple
1 & 2 Chronicles: Our Sacred History – Part II
1 & 2 Chronicles: Our Sacred History – Part II

Pentecost Sunday, May 28, 2023

Cornelis de Vos: King David handing the Scepter to Solomon

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done . . .

As we move from childhood to maturity, we take on commitments and we either fulfill or turn away from promises. As we seize control of as many facets of our lives as possible, we also strive for success as the world around us identifies it. And somewhere in the blur of activity and struggle, they is always the chance that we might move away from the core of who and what we are.

In the story of David and Solomon we find two men, and the women who surround them, scrabble to come out on top and in front, surrounded by security, relaxing into comfort. The details of David’s anointing and rise, his battles with both his enemies and King Saul he has pledged to serve, are all benchmarks in David’s life. So are his interactions with Michal and Bathsheba, and the prophet Nathan. David’s son Solomon must also struggle against heavy odds to survive into adulthood and to assume his father’s seat of power; but later he succumbs to the wishes of others and the lure of success and fame. Details of a temple are laid out and even include specifics about music, vessels and decorations. Life at court attracts both those who support and those who tear down what once was full of hope.

How do we arrive at the peak of power in our lives? What do we store up for the journey ahead and what do we jettison? What do we tend to and what do we ignore? Does our relationship with God grow or diminish? Have we found wisdom that nourishes and serenity that heals . . . and do these gifts from God even matter to us?

Today we take time to examine our lives to see how or if we have followed God’s lead in the living of our hours on earth, and to examine the kind of kingdom we have been building. We consider what we have set aside as having great value and what we have cast off as holding us down. And we discover, in the many relationships and encounters we have experienced, that both our storehouse and the debris we leave behind reveal a great deal about who and what we have become.

The two books of Chronicles have four major portions: a genealogy of our leaders beginning with Abraham (1 Chronicles 1-9), a description of the monarchy under David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 9 – 2 Chronicles 9), the divided kingdom (2 Chronicles 10-18), and the period from Hezekiah to the Babylonian exile (2 Chronicles 19-36). This story of divine promise interwoven with human commitment and infidelity tell a story that we might see reflected in our own personal sacred history. This story is worthy of our time over the next few days.

Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cornelis_de_Vos_-_King_David_presenting_the_sceptre_to_Solomon.jpg
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May 28, 2023

Bathsheba, David, fame, hollow success, kingdom, Michal, power, promises, Solomon, storehouse, The Temple
Psalm 27: Fearless Trust
Psalm 27: Fearless Trust

Monday, April 24, 2023

James Tissot: The Ark Passes Over the Jordan

The followers of Yahweh erected a tent to house the ark they created to hold their tangible remnants of their relationship with the Lord: stone tablets holding God’s ten pronouncements of the Mosaic Law, manna provided by the Lord during the Hebrews’ desert wanderings, and the staff that Aaron used to mystify Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt whom the enslaved people of God escaped. The Israelites replaced the tent with a glorious Temple to house the ark, sacred scrolls of God’s word to them. More than once this Temple was overrun, brought down, and reduced to rubble and a single, solemn wall of prayer. Today followers of Christ carry this tent, this Temple within; and it is in this sacred interior space that we find courage, hope, strength, faith, persistence, peace and joy. As we move through Eastertide, we bolster ourselves for the journey ahead as we continue our pilgrimage.

The New American Bible gives a wonderful title to these verses: A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God. We might benefit from the grace of this special prayer if we reflect carefully on its words as we pray them.

A depiction of the Moses Tent

When we are anxious or troubled, we recall . . .

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    I will fear no one.
The Lord protects me from all danger;
    I will never be afraid.

When we are overwhelmed and distraught, we remind one another . . .

Even if a whole army surrounds me,
    I will not be afraid;
even if enemies attack me,
    I will still trust God.

When we are lost or abandoned, we remember . . .

I have asked the Lord for one thing;
    one thing only do I want:
to live in the Lord’s house all my life,
    to marvel there at his goodness,
    and to ask for his guidance.

When all seems lost and dark, we remind one another . . .

In times of trouble God will shelter me;
    God will keep me safe in the Lord’s Temple
    and make me secure on a high rock.

When we are alone or bereft, we call out . . .

So I will triumph over my enemies around me.

    With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his Temple;
    I will sing, I will praise the Lord.

Hear me, Lord, when I call to you!
    Be merciful and answer me!

When we falter, we encourage one another . . .

When you said, “Come worship me,”
I answered, “I will come, Lord.”

The Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem today (The Wailing Wall)

When the world closes in and we find no exit from sorrow, we pray . . .

Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do,
    and lead me along a safe path,
    because I have many enemies.

Don’t abandon me to my enemies,
    who attack me with lies and threats.

When we are rescued, we rejoice . . .

I know that I will live to see

the Lord‘s goodness in this present life.

Trust in the Lord.
    Have faith, do not despair.
Trust in the Lord.

When this present life seems as though there is no evidence of God’s presence, let us remember Christ’s temple of light and peace that we carry within.

Psalm 27, one of my favorites, has been set to music by many. As we pray today we might listen to the Shane and Shane rendition at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndZsEDuCVAQ

If there is time in the next several hours, enter the word TEMPLE into the blog search bar and consider how God’s plan has brought us from enslavement through the desert to a solid place where we rejoice and yet remains with us when great loss or great sorrow overtake us. It is God’s abiding love that brings us this fearless trust in the temple of God that remains within. When we reflect on these images or listen to these or other audios as we pray, we allow this fearless trust in God to rest in us today. Wishing all of you peace and joy on this day and all days.

Images from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/103864335130600859/ and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Jacques_Joseph_Tissot_-_The_Ark_Passes_Over_the_Jordan_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg and https://bible-history.com/jerusalem/jerusalem-temple and http://www.levitt.com/slideshow/s01p05 and http://www.answersfromscriptureonline.com/tag/praying-women/
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April 24, 2023

Christ rescues, courage, faith, hope, joy, peace, persistence, strength, The Ark, The Temple
Ezekiel 48:35: The Lord is Here – Part II
Ezekiel 48:35: The Lord is Here – Part II

Easter Saturday, April 15, 2023

Tablets of Jewish Exiles

We know that when the prophet Ezekiel was deported, he was taken to a small village on a canal near the banks of the river Chebar. Scholars believe that around the year 597 B.C.E. he trekked with others from Israel to Syria, then south through modern Iraq. He may even have volunteered to accompany an early wave of deportees before the collapse of Israel in 593 B.C.E. In any case, he was called by the Spirit to speak, and to write down the oracles sent to him. And he obeyed. An essay in the CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE tells us that despite the fact that he uses the pronoun “I” so frequently, he “showed little initiative and remained completely obedient to God, like clay in the hands of the potter. He never questioned God’s complete control”. (Senior RG 337-338)

Ezekiel was a strong influence in his community and kept before the exiled the central importance of the temple and the presence of the Lord – even though the temple had been defiled, and the faithful could no longer visit its sacred precincts. It is likely that through priests like Ezekiel, the Jewish community was able to cling to Yahweh through the excruciating trial of separation, and so we can look to him as an exemplar of how to best live when we are physically separated from something we hold dear. We must allow the healing waters of the Spirit to flow through our temple – because the Lord is Here. He is in the suffering, he is in the healing, and he is in the rejoicing.

When we are faced with deep disappointment or separation from all we love, how do we respond? Today we consider this question as we remember that God is especially with us when we suffer.

The River Chebar today

From the CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE (NAB) Readers’ Guide page 337: The last chapters of Ezekiel describe the new temple in the New Jerusalem and the description “offers a vision of fresh water, flowing from the altar, down the Kidron Valley, into the Dead Sea. It is part of a biblical tradition, symbolically declaring that all life flows from God, enthroned at the Temple . . . The long passage in Sirach 24 transforms this stream into the four rivers of paradise, awaiting the wise person and true worshipper. The Temple accordingly becomes a symbol of the messianic era and mirrors God’s true and everlasting home in heaven. . . The passage from Ezekiel, especially its opening words [in 47:1-12], has inspired the ancient paschal hymn, in Latin Vidi aquam, ‘I saw water.’ Water became an important feature in the Easter liturgy. The Book of Ezekiel ends fittingly with the new name for Jerusalem, ‘The Lord is here’.”

When we spend time with this prophecy today, we have the opportunity to feel the presence of God as we remember and reflect . . . we are Easter People . . . cleansed by Easter water . . . and the Lord is among us.

Senior, Donald, ed. THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. New York, Oxford University Press, 1990.RG 337. Print.

Images from: http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/exhibits-events/tablets-of-jewish-exiles/ and http://www.richardlydiard.com/achives/chebar_river.html

Adapted from a Favorite written on September 15, 2007.

For more on the Babylonian exile of the Israelites, visit the Encyclopedia Britannica at: http://www.britannica.com/event/Babylonian-Exile
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April 15, 2023

Babylonian Exile, obedience, River Chebar, separation, Sirach 24, The Temple
John 2:13-25: Cleansing the Temple
John 2:13-25: Cleansing the Temple

El Greco: Christ Cleansing the Temple

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

In today’s Gospel we hear that Jesus made a whip out of cords and then used it to drive moneychangers out of a sacred place of worship. As we read Jesus’ words, we might consider how we have cluttered our hearts with sacrifices that mean little or with the bargains we hope to exact from a loving God.

Take these [doves] out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.

As we read Jesus’ words we might consider our willingness to give over the false temples we have constructed to the cleansing, healing hands of Christ.

Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.

As we read John’s words we might consider God’s great generosity and mercy.

Many began to believe in [Jesus’] name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

As we read John’s words we might consider how we might begin to cleanse our hearts and minds, and how we might willingly offer them up for destruction.

Learn about Regina at the Women for Women site

Study El Greco’s rendering of Christ Cleansing the Temple above, then explore the sites below and determine if there is an appropriate action we might take toward removing the marketplace from our temples and releasing the captive doves.

Women for Women: http://www.womenforwomen.org/

Women in Black: http://womeninblack.org/

Read about Las madres de la Plaza de Mayo documentary at: http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/227561/Las-Madres-The-Mothers-of-Plaza-de-Mayo/overview

Watch the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo documentary trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jTxfPz3_rw
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March 8, 2022

cleansing, God’s generosity, God’s mercy, healing, Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, The Temple, Women for Women, Women in Black