February 11, 2020

1 Kgs 8: 22-23

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. He said, “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart.

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

A space to encounter God

Today King Solomon dedicates the Jerusalem temple to God. Yet as he does so, he acknowledges the temple’s apparent futility: God is so great that no structure could ever contain him. So why build a temple in the first place?

Perhaps the temple is more for the people than for God. God does not need a special place to dwell. But we humans have a need for some place dedicated to God. Even if we know that God can be found anywhere – at work, at school, in the woods, in our bedrooms – it helps to set aside a space specifically to encounter God through prayer. For this purpose, Solomon dedicates the temple: that when people pray there, they may be heard.

Today, let us “rededicate” our own prayer spaces – churches, chapels, armchairs at home. Let us remember why we have these spaces, and trust that God will meet us there.

—Dan Everson, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Central and Southern Province who currently teaches theology and coordinates community service at Arrupe Jesuit High School in Denver.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we ask you now
to help us to remain with you always,
to be close to you with all the ardor of our hearts,
to take up joyfully the mission you entrust to us,
and that is to continue your presence
and spread the good news of your resurrection.

—Carlo Maria Martini, SJ