THURSDAY, SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Ex 40:16-21,34-38 Ps 84:3-6,8,11 Mt 13:47-53
DWELLING IN GOD’S PRESENCE
People who love each other hate to be separated. During separation, they hold on to reminders: a picture, a letter, or a gift. Such tokens keep the absent beloved present. The same longing is at the heart of the first reading. The tabernacle was the sacred space where God lived among His people, a visible sign of His invisible presence. Within it lay the Ark of the Covenant, housing the tablets of the law, God’s gift to Israel. Today, our churches have tabernacles, but unlike the Old Testament’s Ark, ours contain the living reality: Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This is the sacrificial Victim, the Risen Lord, the love of God poured out for us. On the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, we recall how he sought God’s presence in all things. His Spiritual Exercises cultivated an interior tabernacle, a soul attuned to divine guidance. For Ignatius, Christ was a companion encountered in prayer, service, and the Eucharist.
The Gospel presents the parable of the net, where fish of every kind are gathered and sorted. Just as the tabernacle in Exodus signified God’s presence, so too does the kingdom of heaven. The net gathers all, but only what is worthy remains. In the New Covenant, we are called to be transformed by Christ’s presence, to be the “good fish” that remain in His kingdom.
Ignatius teaches us to sift through the movements of our heart, distinguishing what draws us closer to God from what pulls us away. His prayer echoes this surrender: “Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my will. You have given all to me. To You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours; dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me Your love and Your grace, for this is enough for me.” Like the Israelites who followed the cloud of glory, we must follow Christ daily – seeking His presence in the tabernacle, in the world, and in our souls – where love knows no separation, and our true home is found.
Response: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts.
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