THE SOLUTION TO OUR PUZZLES


THURSDAY, TWENTY FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Hag 1:1-8; Ps 149:1-6,9; Lk 9:7-9

The Need to Rebuild the House of God

The whole universe is designed and made for the purpose of the Creator. Every intricate part of creation works together to achieve the purpose of the Creator who sustains all in being. Our ability to sin against God, that is, to disobey his will, shows the dignity God bestowed on the rational nature. He made them with free will; he made them in his image, like gods, in the sense that they determine themselves. Some people are uncomfortable with the fact that God gave them the freedom to choose to do or not do. They blame God for allowing us to commit sin. They fail to see the nobility in what God has endowed men and the angels with, giving them free will. The true nobility of man can only be understood in God, who made us for himself. The mystery of our nature makes it impossible for anyone to know and determine his nature without God. We are bound to wreck the beautiful and exotic nature God gave us. We must live in harmony with God, to know his will, and to do it every day of our lives. He made us for this purpose, and nothing more. All our sorrows and pains come from our refusal to obey, our inability to submit humbly to the loving Father who made us for himself, to be with him in loving communion.

God, speaking through the prophet Haggai, traced the cause of the discomfort and lack of contentment among his people to the fact that they abandoned the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which Cyrus, king of Persia, started during his reign. “The Lord of Hosts says this, “This people say: The time has not yet come to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. (And the word of the Lord was addressed through the prophet Haggai, as follows:) Is this a time for you to live in your panelled houses, when this House lies in ruins?” The people of God were engrossed in their own affairs, enriching themselves and building panelled houses, while the Temple remained in ruins. The Lord pointed out to them why their works were in vain. “So now, the Lord of Hosts says this: reflect carefully how things have gone for you. You have sown much and harvested little; you eat but never have enough, drink but never have your fill, put on clothes but do not feel warm. The wage earner gets his wages only to put them in a purse riddled with holes.” We can never satisfy our nature, for it is made for God alone to satisfy it. It is God’s temple.

The impossibility of satisfying human nature with wealth, riches, fame, or glory was apparent in Herod the tetrarch. He had power, riches, fame, and Herodias, for whom he killed John the Baptist, yet he remained restless. “Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had reappeared, still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life.” Our lives on earth are puzzles which remain insoluble without the master piece of our lives and creation, the Man, Jesus Christ. He is the light that enlightens every man that comes to life; without him, we walk in complete darkness and confusion. Herod remained restless and anxious to see Jesus Christ. “But Herod said, ‘John? I beheaded him. So, who is this I hear reports about? And he was anxious to see Jesus.” We should all be anxious and vigilant to see Jesus Christ and resolve to follow him when he comes to us.  For he comes to us in different guises daily. When he came to Herod, his state was disfigured, dirty, and lowly, and Herod made fun of him and rejected him. May God open our eyes to see and consider the wonders of his law and creation, to see him in all things, and to live in harmony with his will.

Let us pray: O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbour, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.   

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