25TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Greater will be the future glory of this house than the former.

Imagine how encouraged Zerubbabel and his companions must have been when they heard this prophetic word. After forty years of exile in Babylon, they had returned to a Jerusalem in ruins. And yet the Lord was telling them to “take courage” and not to lose heart (Haggai 2:4). If they restored the Temple, he would not only fill it with his glory, but that glory would become even greater (2:7, 9).

The Temple was ultimately restored, and it stood for several hundred years afterward. Certainly, the Jewish people experienced God’s glory there. But Haggai’s prophecy also hinted at something greater than God dwelling in a physical building. It was foreshadowing the promise that God would fill us with his glory. Together, as “living stones,” we make up the Church (1 Peter 2:5). God’s presence dwells in each of us, and the clearer it shines forth from each of us, the brighter the glory of the Church becomes.

One of the best ways to keep God’s glory shining out of us is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Confession clears away the sin that obscures God’s presence in us. We are restored to the grace we’ve lost and are reconnected to the one who is the source of grace and glory.

Many parishes offer Confession on Saturdays. That makes tomorrow an opportunity to be restored! So be encouraged. Remember that Confession is not only about your sin. It’s also about God’s goodness. It’s about receiving the grace of his presence so that you can live as a new creation and shine with his glory. Think of Zerubbabel and the people who rebuilt the Temple with him. When you go to Confession, you are doing your part to restore God’s temple, the Church.

After you make your confession, stay in church for a while and thank God that he has cleared away everything that blocks you from him. Rejoice that you carry his presence within you. Resolve that you will share that presence with the people you encounter. And remember that you are an essential part of the glory of God shining through the Church.

“Lord, may your light shine in me today!”

Psalm 43:1-4
Luke 9:18-22
Haggai 2:1-9

WORD AMONG US