FRIDAY, THIRTY THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Memorial of Saint Cecilia
Rv 10: 8-11 Ps 119 Lk 19: 45-48
BECOMING HOUSES OF PRAYER
We hear in the Gospel today the powerful words of Jesus: “My house shall be a house of prayer”. These words were made known to the Israelites by God through Prophet Isaiah. “These I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” (Is 56:7) We are God’s temples, houses of prayer. How do we become God’s houses of prayer?
Believe in the Divine Indwelling: God has created us in His own image and likeness (Gen 1:27), and He has brought this to perfection in us by His Indwelling presence in us. Jesus has promised us this presence: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (Jn 14:23) St Paul reminds us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. (I Cor 6:19) We need to accept in faith the presence of God within us to become houses of prayer.
Undergo Purification: Jesus entered the temple and found that the temple was turned into a house of business, a den of robbers. Looking at this, He cleansed and purified the temple. We are filled with many consequences of original sin like pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust. When we purify ourselves of all these, we become houses of prayer.
Prayer and the Word of God: We need to pray, have an intimate relationship with the Triune God. Prayer is a sweet exchange between God and the soul. The soul tries to remain in the divine presence, recollected, opening itself to act according to God’s will. The Word of God is not only kept in the mind but also in the heart, experiencing its sweetness and bitterness, we undergo transformation. When we pray and get transformed by the Word of God, we become God’s houses of prayer.
Response: How sweet is your promise to my tongue, O Lord!
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