Last Tuesday we celebrated the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Abbey Basilica here on campus. All through Lauds, and later Mass, the scripture selections evoked God’s house, the temple of the Lord, and the reality of holy places, all of which has made me think about what it means for God to have an earthly “house” at all.
I know why we build houses for ourselves. They offer shelter from the elements, gathering places for our family and friends, and spaces of refuge. But God, omnipotent and omnipresent, surely has no need of a house?
Our homes, whatever form they might take, host the ordinary, unperformative motions of our lives and loves. They become almost extensions of ourselves, so that inviting a guest means more than just giving them permission to cross the threshold. It offers friendship and trust. Hospitality, which is so essential a hallmark of the Benedictine way, identifies another as belonging, as family. It makes others welcome in our lives.
The truth is, God establishes a house here on earth for our sake, rather than His: to be near us. He dwells with us – and He asks that we build and maintain places like the Abbey Basilica – not so that He’ll have a place to rest, Himself, but so that we will. He knows how much we need earthly signs and spaces – sacramental encounters with the divine. And He invites us into His house to tell us – in ways we can grasp and embrace because we recognize it as a part of our human language – that we belong as family. He gives us the opportunity to love Him by placing ourselves in His presence.
This weekend, as we prepare for Holy Week and, at the end of it, the celebration of our Easter joy, let’s take a moment to thank God, both that He comes to meet us in every place, and that He gives us a house in which to seek Him.
