You are God’s building

You are God’s building. 

We don’t typically think of ourselves as a building.   But use your imagination.   If you could choose to be any kind of building, what would you be?   Maybe you’d want to be a simple quaint cottage in the woods.   Or perhaps you see yourself as a sleek high-rise condominium in the heart of a vibrant city.

Whatever kind of structure you might prefer to be, consider what gives any building its real value.   It’s not the exterior, however beautiful or grand, that makes a house a home.   It’s the people who occupy it.   It’s the people, the “living stones” who dwell there, that make a building a place of warmth, light, and peace.

Last week we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, the official seat of the Holy Father.   The basilica’s stunning architecture, inlaid marble, colorful mosaics, and finely carved statues attract visitors from around the world.   But it’s not the building’s beauty and majesty we celebrate last week.   It’s the “living stones” that have filled it over the centuries.   It’s the faithful members of the Church whose hearts and minds are filled with Jesus and his Spirit.

Whatever kind of building you imagine yourself to be, it’s unlikely you would describe yourself as that beautiful basilica.   Few of us would be so bold as to compare ourselves to such a magnificent building!   But Paul reminds us that it’s not our exterior that matters.   It’s what is inside of us.   Through our baptism, God lives in us.   We radiate the presence of his only beloved Son.   Our heavenly Father sees many different facets of his beauty and his glory in us.   And that makes you just as beautiful as the most grandly constructed cathedral.

Today, no matter what kind of building you think you are, let God show you who you really are.   You are the space where he comes and abides.   The glory of the Lord shines through every window of your heart.   Because you are his building, he depends on you.   You are that warm and inviting place where other people can encounter Jesus.

Word Among Us