I was once in a Church on Sunday when the Catechist during his announcement cautioned members of the assembly against leaving their precious belongings on the pews while going to Altar for Offertory or Holy Communion. He said the warning was based on recent cases of theft during Church service. There was a murmur among the worshippers. Some were shocked, not that they were not used to cases of theft and robbery, but that such things could happen in the holiest of places. This incident made me understand more deeply than ever why the Bible makes stringent rules about the type of people who could enter the temple of God.
Psalms 15:1 poses the question: “Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy mountain?” The same line of questioning is raised in Psalm 24:3: “Who may go up to the mountain of the Lord? Who can stand in his holy place?”
The answer in Psalm 24 is given in a summary form: those with clean hands and pure heart, not devoted to idols and falsehood in swearing (24:4). But the answer in Psalm 15 is more elaborate: those who walk blamelessly, who do what is right, speak the truth from their heart; do not slander with their tongue, do no evil to their friends, take up no reproach against their neighbors; hold the wicked in disdain, honor those who fear the Lord; stand by their oath; do not lend money at interest, and take no bribe against the innocent (15:2-5). Without these virtues, our worship of God remains insincere. The readings of today call for a renewed and sincere heart in our relations with God, with emphasis on innocence and sincere repentance.
Coming into God’s Presence
The temple in Jerusalem is situated on a mountain. So coming into God’s presence is often pictured as coming to the mountain of God. That is why Psalm 24, which is the liturgical psalm of today, poses the question: “Who can climb the mountain of the Lord?” Climbing a mountain requires physical strength as well as the strength of will to keep going. Only strong willed people succeed in climbing high mountains.
The presence of God gradually came to be portrayed metaphorically as a high mountain that one decides to reach. For the psalmist, to qualify for such ascent, one must have clean hands and pure heart. The term “clean hands” refers to innocence and integrity, while “pure heart” refers to sincerity. Only the possessors of such virtues can truly seek the face of God. Innocence and sincerity are virtues we all look for in relationships. But, unfortunately, these virtues have become scarce commodities in our everyday interactions. In most situations, everyone tries to take advantage of every other one as much as possible. This makes most relationships deceptive, exploitative, fraudulent and destructive. When such attitudes are brought into religion, as we often see, the relationship with God remains false, shallow and insincere.
Living in the Spirit
The integrity required for authentic worship of God is often difficult to achieve because of our radical human weakness. The Apostle Paul addresses the issue in his letter to the Romans (8:1-11), which is the first reading of today. Our human body is weak and inclined to sin, which is rebellion against God. As the apostle says, “the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (8:7-8). When Paul talks of “being in the flesh” he ordinarily means the natural human life but with the nuance of acting according to our natural whims and caprices. The Christian life requires a higher order of life and action, and this is enabled by the Spirit. It is only through the Spirit that we can sincerely seek God and accomplish His will. So Paul affirms, “Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (8:9). It is only the Spirit that can empower our mortal and weak nature to strive sincerely and integrally to God, and this overflows in all our ordinary relationships.
Repentance as Basic
The Gospel of the day also addresses the need of serving God with sincerity that leads to fruitfulness. The Gospel is vehement: “Unless you repent you shall perish.” Repentance in English translates the Greek word metanoia. It literally means a change of mind, a renewal of one’s outlook, a complete, inner reorientation. It means a return to God with a singleness of purpose. Having, as the Psalmist says, clean hands and pure heart. It is only then that one’s worship becomes authentic, liberating and empowering.
