January 1, 2013 – Kings 6

Welcome to year 4.  We are 3/4 of the way through the Bible and Catechism.  Thanks if you stuck with me.  As with every new year, I will try to do better at keeping these as on time as I can. 

The Temple that Solomon built must have been something.  Obviously there is no evidence that I know of for what it actually looked like since it was destroyed centuries before Christ.  But if you have been to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, you can get a sense of the size.  The Sistine Chapel was constructed, to the best of their figuring, to be the exact measurements of King Solomon’s Temple as described in these chapters. 

When you read about how much gold was to be used and that everything was to be covered in it, you get a real sense of the awe and magnificence  that they wanted to be out pouring from this structure.  They understood it not to be just any structure, but the Earthly dwelling of God.  When you read about the care they put in building it, you can see why they were so devastated when it was destroyed. 

When you read about this building of the Temple and the great care that went into it, think again of the theology that teaches us we are all Temples of God’s presence.   Think about what we do to our bodies and how saddened we should be when we destroy and tear down the place where God dwell’s here on Earth.  Think also of the respect, or lack there of, that we show when we go to Church, stand in front of the tabernacle, or visit an adoration chapel.  When you think of God’s dwelling, remember what the Jews put into building this Temple and see if we can’t bring a little of the awe and magnificence into our own actions today.