Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 450

They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus and Darius, and of Artaxerxes, king of Persia.


The Gospel today tells us that Mary and the family of Jesus followed him and he welcomed them because they heard the word of God and acted upon it. The first reading, from Ezra, recounts the collusion of religion and state as the Jews rebuilt the temple of Jerusalem on its original site. 
Our tradition recognizes in both the temple and the holy city symbolic connections with Mary and the Church. As we pray the psalms throughout the year, we hear innumerable references to the city and temple; and, as we feel at home in both, we also sense the reassuring presence of Mary, who is always a maternal Spirit for us. 
In the Catholic imagination, both east and west, these symbols enrich the practice of our faith. We are not set upon defining each symbol, nor setting them apart from one another. Rather, they suffuse one another like incense in a church or the smell of food in the kitchen, inviting us to "Make yourself at home" as we settle into prayer. 
Ezra reminds us of the complex interplay of religion and politics in the real world. It takes more than faith to build a church. It takes money, elaborate plans, much time, many workers, and innumerable permits from local governments. Not everyone is working explicitly for the glory of God, though many will later point to the building and say, "I built that!" 
I notice also the Emperor Darius' command, "...they are to rebuild it on its former site." The temple site was said to be the very spot where Abraham sacrificed Isaac, his only son whom he loved. Geography plays a huge role in the religious imagination. Christian shrines, like the Cathedral of Notre Dame, often appear where idols were worshiped. Many returning pagans, making their customary annual pilgrimage and discovering new symbols in the familiar setting, direct their devotion to the Lord of History who has taken up residence in this holy place. Thus the old merges with the new and ancient roots are saturated with the holy water of a blessed new age. 
The transformation is so successful that few Christians remember that their physical ancestors were not Jews, and the "Old Testament" is, if we take history literally, the "Hebrew Scriptures." We find Jesus on every page of the Old Testament  -- "This is our book!" -- and we are astonished that Jews do not!
In these and many ways our Catholic symbols -- including everything from places, buildings, clothing, words, gestures, songs, and dance to prayers, rituals, creeds and doctrines -- assure us of our place in this world. We are earthlings, made of this planet's dirt, air, and water; and we have a home in heaven.