Sunday, December 20, 2015

rebuild my church

Today's readings: Haggai 1:1-2:23, Revelation 11:1-19, Psalm 139:1-24, Proverbs 30:15-16

Haggai tells the people of Israel today to build His house. In St Francis's time, God told him something similar. And Francis took this literally and started repairing the tattered old church that he was currently in. But God had bigger plans for Francis.

God calls us to repair His church today, too. And there is a sense in which we should look after His building. This means your local church. It also means His creation. We should take care of the planet He put us on. But, even more importantly, we're called to take care of the church which is made up of our brothers and sisters. Who are our brothers and sisters?

Well, if we ask Francis, he would tell us the sun is our brother and the moon is our sister. The wonder of God's creation is our family. But of course, we should take care of our fellow human beings more than anything. Jesus said that God notices when a single sparrow falls to the Earth. But, He said, you are worth more than many sparrows.

It isn't by accident that the Pope took the name Francis. He urges us to take care of the environment. He admonishes us to help him rebuild the church, which has been tattered by the sins of its people. And whether you're Catholic or not, you're called to join us in this work. God calls us to rebuild His church. Care to join us?

God, thank You for caring for Your church, made up of so many elements. Please help us take care of it.