Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
The first two readings for today are rich with the thought of where God dwells. Solomon, Israel’s great leader and builder of the majestic Temple, prays that God will look favorably on what he has built. He begins his prayer with an interesting question: “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?” By the end of his prayer, he asks that God listen to it from God’s “heavenly dwelling.” It thus remains a bit ambiguous where we are to find God: can we seek him here or is he far away? In today’s psalm, we hear the refrain, “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!” The ambiguity from Solomon’s prayer persists here, as the verses alternate between imagining God’s heavenly dwelling and rejoicing in finding his presence here on earth.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is contending with folks who have lost the point of their traditions. Without disparaging the traditions themselves, Jesus reminds the Pharisees that the commandments of God are the meaning behind the traditions that they are accusing others of following incorrectly or not at all. And so, this story, too, is about where to find God-- God is of course in our practices and rituals but these should never overshadow the image of God we are to see in other people.
Many people think about God as an old guy living up in the sky, who occasionally bursts into the world in dramatic ways, usually to punish or amaze. I think that today’s readings, however, give us a wonderful moment to consider where God is. It is true, as Solomon and the psalmist both admit, that the places or things of this world cannot contain God’s presence. It is also true, however, that God sustains and permeates the world with love. So while we must remember our place as creatures, we must also expect to find God in the people and things around us.
In addition, our traditions and practices are incredibly important, but they only point us to the Gospel, not exhaust it. When we hear Solomon’s question, “Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?” we feel a surge of joy in being this side of the Incarnation. Jesus has indeed dwelt among us. In him, the world saw the face of the living God, who calls us into lives of radical love and promises us the gift of forgiveness.
- Katherine Schmidt