The Christian religion presents the greatest aspiration of the human person as that of seeing the face of God. This is called the beatific vision. It is the summum bonum (the highest good). The Psalmist of Psalm 42:2 cries out: “My soul thirsts for God, the living God, when can I enter and see the face of God?” This psalm expresses the striving of the whole being to be with God just like the deer that yearns for flowing water. In some texts, it is not just the question of when one would enter and see God but how qualified one is to see God.
Since God is other and holy, some moral qualities are required for one to be admitted to His presence. The responsorial psalm of today from Psalm 24 poses the question: “Who can climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” (24:3). All the readings of today try to answer the question from their different perspectives.
Being Without Deceit and Without Blemish
The first reading from the book Revelation qualifies those who follow the lamb as being without deceit and without blemish. The author uses the group, identified as being hundred and forty-four thousand (144,000) in number, as symbols of the Christians who remained faithful to the Christian principles in the midst of the aberrations of the Imperial Rome. They insulated themselves from the idolatrous practices of the Beast, here referring to the empire. They are said to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, meaning that their mode of living is conditioned by the demands of Christian discipleship. Jesus himself had said that true followers must renounce themselves and carry the cross everyday and follow him. So, the condition for occupying a special place in God’s presence is the faithful following of the crucified and risen Jesus.
Being with a Clean Heart and Not Desiring Vain Things
The psalmist of Psalm 24 goes further to ask: Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? (24:3). This question addresses the controversy that arose in the religious community regarding the basic qualifications for entering the holy temple in Jerusalem. Some currents of thought within the community tended to exclude foreigners and some classes of people from entering the temple.
The psalmist addresses this issue, putting the qualification for entry on moral and spiritual grounds by identifying the following basic criteria: those clean of hand; those pure of heart; those who are not devoted to idols; and those do not swear falsely. Such are the people who seek the face of the God of Jacob, and they shall receive blessings from Him. So, God’s favors do not depend on one’s ethnic affiliation or social standing but on purity of the heart and right conduct.
The Gospel text from Luke 21 addresses a similar scenario. While many contribute to the treasury large sums of money from their abundance, Jesus rates highest the poor widow who gives two small coins, what has conventionally become the widow’s mite. Jesus looks at the quality of her offering and not the quantity. She gave all she had to live on, showing her complete self offering to God. What matters is not the abundance but the interiority, the heart with which one gives and worships.
The Virtue of Simplicity in Today’s Society
These readings invite us to become better convinced Christians. Exhibit the virtues of simplicity and sincerity. Many evils thrive in our society today because many of those who call themselves Christians are not convinced. They often act with deceptive intentions. The word of God makes it clear to us that moral rectitude and purity of intentions are the prerequisites for seeking the face of God and receiving blessings from Him.
I believe in the quality of Love presented to our Lord jesus Christ, not quanity. Quality of worship is of virture and truth, but not of deceit. The homily of fr. Luke Ijezie is of truth presented in the Psalms.