Luke 8:17 ‘17 For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.’
Every act and move in a believer’s life is divinely driven. There is no chance or it so happened. There is the perfect will and plan of God in everything. To understand this truth, look no further than today’s first reading. Israel, more specifically the Southern kingdom that had gone into exile and the Lord’s Spirit works through a pagan king to restore Worship. This is our God!
Psalm 115:3 Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.
At a time when the exiled Israel lamented over a lack of place to Worship, the Lord intervened. Worship is the utmost act that mankind renders to Holy God.
CCC 2084. God makes himself known by recalling his all-powerful loving and liberating action in the history of the one He addresses: “I brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” The first word contains the first commandment of the Law: “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve him…. You shall not go after other gods.” 5 God’s first call and just demand is that man accept him and worship him.
Acknowledging God as God is Worship. When King David desired a resting place for God, God commanded through Solomon to build a Temple for Worship, from this we see the connection between Rest and Worship, let us go a bit deeper …
Why did God’s people go into Exile?
2 Chronicles 36:20-21
20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
Sabbath was broken, a day called to rest and trust in God’s Providence, in fact CCC 2172 says Sabbath or the Lord’s Day is a day of protest against the servitude of work and the worship of money. When that Sabbath Law was broken, God’s people went into exile, when they later desired Worship, True Worship that is rendered to God and God alone, they were called back to build the Temple in order to restore Worship.
Authenticity of Our Faith
This worship keeps the authenticity of our Faith burning just as a Lamp that burns and dispels every darkness. Worship is an interior act that ultimately overflows or showcases our true Christian witness, just as a lamp lit will dispel darkness. A true Worshipper cannot but witness, just as a lamp once lit is not covered with a vessel or put under a bed. As you and I look back at our lives, if there are instances or places where we have not witnessed Christ, look deeper and we will find that there has been a defect in Godly Worship.
True Worship aligns us with God’s spirit who is always drawing the whole mankind to himself through Jesus. On the other hand, when one compromises Worship the light of Christ is indeed veiled under a vessel or put under bed. Vessel and bed represent the deeds of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) which are contrary to worship. Worship requires sacrifice ( Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual[b] worship.) while the deeds of the flesh resists Sacrifice .
Be Vigilant
Let us be vigilant, brothers and sisters as we live our Christian life, more so in this regard of Worship, for the Gospel reading ends with a warning, and that warning is pretty clear. When we look at it in light of the first reading, yearning for Worship – Temple Restored, laxity in Worship Temple taken away, it is as simple and clear as it gets.
Luke 8:18 ‘Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.”’
Taken away is the life of Christ in us. In Baptism we are incorporated into the Body of Christ, so that we may offer ourselves every day in True Worship to attain the ultimate good – a total complete union with God ‘The Beatific Vision.’ What is left if this is taken away, a complete and total separation from God for all eternity?
Prayer
Loving Father in heaven , through the great act of Worship that your Son Jesus did on the cross , you call each and every one of us to your sacred heart. Give us the grace today to follow your son in all things more so in Worship. Help us deny ourselves today and take up our crosses and follow your son, knowing that this cross leads us to you. May we dread the mere thought of ever being separated from you again but always trust in your great mercy as we come back to offer ourselves over and over again. In Jesus most Holy name we pray. Amen!
