October 4, 2010 – Exodus 25

v. 2 – Take up a collection and tell everyone to give what their heart tells them. What would happen today. This is often what a Church will say when they are taking up a special or second collection for a visiting missionary or something like that. How do we respond to that request. The Lord relies on us giving from what our heart tells us. We can be very generous when there is a disaster relief because our heart is moved. Is our heart hardened to things that may require our support but do not appear as urgent. Pray that our hearts are more open to God’s request of our giving and that we are more generous and listen to what our heart is telling us to give.

v. 18 – Make to cherubim. Many protestants are against the Catholic understanding of having statues of saints and angels in their churches. But God, right here, is telling the Israelites to put angels on top of the ark. Just because they are building these angels, does that mean they are worshiping them, are they idols. No, they are there to remind the Israelites about what is going to be in the Ark, that it is a holy place, protected by the angels. There is a very big difference between the making of these angels and the making of the calf coming up. The statues of saints inside a Catholic Church are not there to be worshipped but as a reminder not only of the life they lived but also that during the Mass we are participating in a Heavenly ceremony with those very saints. The statues help us visualize that which is the reality, that at Mass, Heaven is brought to earth and we celebrate as a Church united.