Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-49) - He Dwells Among Us

Dearest Goddaughter,

In today's first reading, King Solomon dedicated the temple to God and humbly asked, "Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?" Yes, indeed, it can be that God dwells on earth!

God dwells in us. Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19) In the beautiful song, we sing: "Holy spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your presence, Lord:"

Most of all, in the Eucharist is the Real Presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Saint John Paul II once said, "In that little Host is the solution to all the problems of the world." God indeed dwells on earth and in us when we open our hearts to receive Him.

Jesus desires to be close to us; we long to be close to Him. Sometimes we forget that we do; thankfully, God never stops calling us to Himself. Therefore, let us honor God not only with our lips, but with our hearts as well, and we will never be far from God.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30 and Mk 7:1-13 (below).

. . .

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem

gathered around Jesus,

they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals

with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.

(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,

do not eat without carefully washing their hands,

keeping the tradition of the elders.

And on coming from the marketplace

they do not eat without purifying themselves.

And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,

the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,

"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders

but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"

He responded,

"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,

as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

In vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."

He went on to say,

"How well you have set aside the commandment of God

in order to uphold your tradition!

For Moses said,

Honor your father and your mother,

and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.

Yet you say,

'If someone says to father or mother,

"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'

(meaning, dedicated to God),

you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.

You nullify the word of God

in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.

And you do many such things."