As we prepare for the start of Lent on Feb. 18, we can look for how God comes to find rest in us
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Lent starts next week on Feb. 18.
Providentially, we read this week about Solomon’s dedication of the Temple. Reflecting on it can really help our preparation for Lent. In what way?
The Psalm refrain accompanying the dedication is from Psalm 132: “Lord, go up to the place of your rest.” You see, the Temple was not only meant to be a worship site, it was also meant to provide a visible symbol of an invisible reality. St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, in a beautiful prayer quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, says to God: “Grant my soul peace. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling, and the place of your rest.” Her prayer helps us to make the connection between the reality of the Temple as a visible place for the Lord to rest and the reality of the soul as an invisible place for the Lord to rest.
Faith is how we allow God to find the place of His rest in our soul. St. Augustine makes the point when he says: “Christ is formed in the believer by the faith of the inner man.” St. Bonaventure makes a similar point when he says: “through faith Christ lives in our hearts.” Remember, this is why Christ didn’t perform many mighty deeds in Nazareth: He found no resting place there because of their lack of faith (Matthew 13).
One of the great metaphors for this relationship is the cup. When a cup is turned upside down, you can pour water over it. If the water finds no place to “rest,” it’s not the water’s fault! When the cup is turned right side up, the water finds its place of rest there. Faith works the same way in the soul.
We see this reality played out in the life of Solomon. He starts out well! His wisdom is combined with humility, and his humility expresses itself in obedience to the covenant. All is well in the external kingdom, because all is well in the internal kingship of his soul. The cup is right side up.
Later in Solomon’s life, however, the cup gets turned upside down. “When Solomon was old … his heart was not entirely with the Lord, his God.” His knowledge remains! But his former humility is replaced with pride, and that pride expresses itself in disobedience to the covenant. Eventually, the external kingdom becomes divided; the main reason is because the internal kingship of Solomon’s soul was divided.
What God says to Solomon, when his heart turns away from the covenant, is important for us, too: “Since this is what you want …” Basically, God says: This is the internal reality you have chosen, so I will give it to you externally as well. That’s a key lesson in how God’s judgment works: It’s not an extrinsic imposition, but an intrinsic working out of our choices.
I pose these questions for us to consider so we might make a good start to Lent.
•Do I let God find a ‘place of rest’ in my soul?
•Are there any places in my soul where I need to turn the cup right side up?
•How does my visible life reflect the invisible life of my soul?
•Are there any places in my life where I need to turn the cup around?
