You are God’s Building November 9

Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live. (Ezekiel 47:9)

You are God’s building. No one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:9, 11)

“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19

Piety

God, send to us the life-giving waters that only you can provide. Help us to channel this gift for the good of the community and your church through our faith-based actions. Amen,

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/110906.shtml

Today we get a heavy dose of the difference between the works of God and the work of humans. In a concrete fashion, St. Paul uses the analogy of a building and its foundation. God has laid the foundation. We can only build upon it.

The “foundation” is the life we have been given through the sacrifice of Jesus. We have the freedom to build whatever kind of life we would like out of this life. If we do not treat the foundation properly, the building will not last.

In the first reading from Ezekiel, the stream flowing from the temple restores fertility to the desert. Justice shall roll down like the waters. The Holy Land is traditionally arid ground. The water is symbolic of the return of the conditions of paradise. The water signifies great blessings, just as dryness signifies a curse.[1]

God is the source of the life giving water. God intervenes in our life by providing the life-giving water in the form of His son, Jesus Christ. As such, God alone is the cause of the growth…we can only cultivate what God has provided to us.

Action

There are diverse functions in the service of the community, but each individual's task is serious, and each will stand accountable for the quality of his contribution. Some of us may be called to be Knights of Columbus, others Catholic Workers. But no matter, each person – working together – contributes toward the building of the temple (the community).

How can you build the Kingdom of God on Earth? How will you be, as St. James calls on us, to be a doer of the word, not just a hearer?

Overshadowed by news of the war, elections and upheaval in Washington, was this story about funding vaccines for children in the developing world through the sale of special bonds. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/07/AR2006110700308.html

The offering was the first leg of an initiative -- the International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFIm) -- which aims to raise funds from bond markets over the next 10 years. Can you put some of your savings into such bonds in order to make sure this project is fully funded. While religious leaders and rock stars invest in these instruments, average investors like you and I also can underwrite these efforts in the Third World.



[1] http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/ezekiel/ezekiel47.htm#foot1