22ND JUNE 2021
LORD, WHO MAY ABIDE IN YOUR TENT?
GENESIS 13:2.5-18
PSALM 15:2-5
MATTHEW 7:6.12-14
Every year whenever the KCPE results are announced, I normally get requests from some parents that I should assist them get their children admitted to Catholic high schools.
When you ask them why they prefer a Catholic school, they will say that Catholic schools perform well and have the highest form of discipline. These two attributes that they admire are also put forward by the schools as desirable qualities.
The key word when parents approach me is admission and the response to today's Psalm- Ps 15, is , " Lord, who may abide in your tent? " Other Bible translations ask, " Lord, who may enter your Temple? " while others ask, " Lord, who will be admitted to your tent? "
I prefer to use the word admitted and if the response was to be written further, you would hear these words, " Lord, who may worship on Zion, your sacred hill? "
This means that this Psalm is a liturgical and a worship Psalm talking not about the physical conditions to be fulfilled before entering the Temple but about the disposition of the heart when you come before God. When our actions are based on good intentions that come from the heart, then the quality of life is what is seen to be more important, not the geographical location of the Temple.
Quality of life in this Psalm is all about the integrity and values that one espouses.
What does the Tent of God look like?
We have been told that it is sacred, and Jesus in today's Gospel passage says that the gate that leads to this tent is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard.
There is a trap here. We may think that conditions have been set by God for us to enter into God's tent but actually, in another way, we are already being enabled and facilitated by God to enter. What then is the narrow way that leads to the tent of God?
The narrow way is the way of salvation and of faith which we receive from God as gifts and these gifts of salvation and of faith come with absolute responsibility on how we use them. The teachings that Jesus has given prior to telling us to enter through the narrow door are not easy teachings. For example, it is not easy to leave your sacrifice at the altar to go and reconcile with someone then come back and offer the sacrifice. The easy way is to just offer the sacrifice.
These difficult teachings are the narrow gates of entry into the tent of God. Today's Psalm and the Gospel passage, may tempt us to have a distorted picture of God as a stern, demanding, no nonsense law giver who is only giving us requirements to fulfil.
But God delights to create, bless, redeem and remind us that the tent is ours to enter.
To whom is the opportunity to dwell in God's tent available? The opportunity is given to us who have a relationship with God and who are called not to be indifferent to our attitude and conduct.
It is an invitation to take the gifts of faith, salvation and life seriously because even in normal circumstances like sports , careers or parenthood, the long and difficult road of love, patience and discipline bring success. Our way into the presence of God is not easy but God helps us.
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