"How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place, O Lord, Mighty God!"

Today's Mass Readings

The “Ark of the Covenant” is an important theme in both the Old Testament and in New Testament and later Christian theology. Today’s first reading describes the events that leads to the establishment of the Ark of the Covenant as the sign of the real presence of God among his chosen people. Even though God in the Old Testament is the totally other, the totally transcendent, the one who could not be named, paradoxically, the Lord dwells among his people. It was not just an abstract spiritual presence, but rather a real concrete presence. The two tablets of the Ten Commandments would be placed in the ark and it would become for the people a sign of the real presence of God in their midst. In the New Testament, the incarnation of Jesus as a human person is described in similar fashion. As the gospel of John suggests, “The Word became flesh and pitched his tent amongst us” – a reference to the “meeting tent” where the Ark was stationed.

In the initial days of Israel as a nation, the Ark played an important part in their military battles against foreign nations. The presence of God among lead them to some decisive victories. Gradually, though the people took the presence of God for granted and even violated the Covenant. They imagined that for the sake of his name, God would not allow the Israelites to lose. However, God allowed the Ark to be possessed by foreign nations, only to impress upon the people that it was the Covenant that was the primary factor.

In later Christian communities, as the understanding of the Eucharist developed, the Ark began to take on a deeper meaning. While the Ark of the Old Testament only contained the two tablets of the commandments, the “new ark” – the tabernacle contained the very body of Christ. Every tabernacle is the new ark of the new covenant. Indeed, the "Word has become flesh and dwelt amongst us." It is also in this sense that one of the titles given to Mary is ‘Ark of the Covenant,’ for she carried within her the Son of God.

If you get the chance today, visit any Catholic Church and spend a few moments in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Become aware of Jesus, who hides his glory and dwells in our midst in all simplicity. He dwells there for us.