“Is God indeed to dwell on earth” (I Kings 8:27)?

Solomon dedicates the temple with the hymn of praise that we see in today’s first reading. He is appealing to God to remember the promise that he made to his father, David. He is not only offering this hymn and the prayer that follows to God but also addressing the people gathered. Solomon is requesting that the focal point for God and his children going forward is to be the Temple. He adds a prayer that goes beyond our reading today, but ends with an appeal to God: “May the Lord, our God, be with us as he was with our ancestors and may he not forsake us nor cast us off. May he draw our hearts to himself, that we may walk in his ways and keep the commands, statutes, and ordinances that he enjoined on our ancestors” (1 Kings 8:57-58).

Solomon is calling his people to give their hearts and minds to God. He is putting into words the invitation that God has given humanity from the time of creation, that all humanity is to be one with God. God has been ever faithful, but his children fell before, during, and after the reign of Solomon. Solomon himself started off very well but did not end very well.

God has not ever given up on us. In the fullness of time, he sent his Son into the world. He “has come to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). In today’s gospel account, that would be Zacchaeus. This tax collector was excited to see Jesus and was shut out from doing so by the people, so he climbed a tree and Jesus came to him and dined with him. Zacchaeus was found and blessed to have Jesus come into his home.

This encounter is an echo of Solomon’s words that we read earlier: “May he draw our hearts to himself, that we may walk in his ways and keep the commands, statutes, and ordinances.” Zacchaeus sought to restore what he had taken because his heart was drawn to experience the love and forgiveness of Jesus’ heart.

We are given the same opportunity today. May we dedicate ourselves to God this morning as we pray together, “Loving God and Father, draw our hearts to you that we may experience your love. Show us the way in which to walk, lead us to practice your truth by putting into practice your commands, and help us to follow your will in our thoughts, words, and actions.”

In our surrender to the love of God we become free of that which binds us and will experience the reality and truth that our heart, mind, and soul is meant to be the dwelling place for God. We are to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus has come to share with us. We are lost when we walk on our own way apart from our Father, but we are found when we return to rest and abide in his love. May we trust in Jesus and slow our breath so that our hearts beat in the same rhythm as his Sacred Heart. May we carry Jesus with us in all that we do and share his love with all those we meet!

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Photo: In a special way, let us pray for our Diocese of Palm Beach as we celebrate our cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola which was dedicated on October 6, 1984, where I was also ordained a permanent deacon in 2013, and hope to be ordained a priest in 2024. I can still feel Bishop Barbarito’s hands on my head!

Readings for the Mass today: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30; Psalm 84; and Luke 19:1-10 optional readings from the Common of the Dedication of a Church.