Daily Readings - Mon Feb 07 2022
1 Kings
1Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' houses of the people of Israel, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.2And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.3And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.4And they brought up the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up.5And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered.6Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim.7For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.9There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.10And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD,11so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.12Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in thick darkness.13I have indeed built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever."
Mark
53When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.54And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him55and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was.56And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the presence of God in our lives and the ways in which He reveals Himself to us. In the first reading from 1 Kings, we witness the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, a moment of profound significance for the people of Israel. The ark of the covenant, which held the tablets of the Ten Commandments, was finally placed in the Holy of Holies, symbolizing God’s dwelling among His people. The cloud that filled the Temple signified the divine presence, and Solomon’s words acknowledged that God had chosen to dwell in a cloud, a reminder of His mysterious and transcendent nature. This passage emphasizes the importance of sacred spaces and rituals in connecting us to the divine.
In the Gospel, Mark describes Jesus’ ministry in the region of Genesaret. Wherever Jesus went, people brought their sick to Him, and simply by touching His garments, they were healed. This passage highlights Jesus as the living Temple, the new and definitive dwelling place of God among humanity. Unlike the Temple in Jerusalem, which was a physical structure, Jesus’ presence brought healing and wholeness to all who encountered Him. This shift from the Temple to Jesus underscores the Christian understanding that God’s presence is not confined to a building but is fully revealed in the person of Christ.
These readings remind us that God’s presence is both mysterious and accessible. In the Temple, God’s glory was veiled in a cloud, yet in Jesus, that same glory is revealed in flesh and blood. As we go about our daily lives, we are called to recognize God’s presence in the world around us—in the beauty of creation, in the faces of those we meet, and in the quiet moments of prayer. Like the people in Genesaret, we can bring our needs and struggles to Jesus, trusting in His power to heal and transform us. Let us also remember that we are called to be instruments of God’s presence in the world, offering love, compassion, and hope to those around us. May we, like Solomon, acknowledge the mystery of God’s dwelling among us, and may we, like the people in the Gospel, reach out in faith to touch the hem of His garment.