HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she puts
her young.
In today's
Responsorial Psalm we acclaim: how lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord,
mighty God! Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest in which she
puts her young. The overall theme for our psalm is that it is better to be in
the place of God's presence than anywhere else. The smallest parts of creation
delight in His presence. It is easy to imagine this psalm was in Jesus' mind
when, in the Sermon on the Mount, he talks about God's care for sparrows as a
sign of our heavenly Father's enduring love and care for us and all of
creation.
God's presence is
embodied through his son Jesus' life and in the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus,
God-made-flesh, dwells among his children. The Holy Spirit now makes us, the
Catholic Church, his dwelling place. The same joy and delight that we read
scripture is our joy this day and every day.
In the Old
Testament, the Jewish people had a temple in Jerusalem which was considered to
be the dwelling place of God upon the earth. In the New Testament, our bodies
are temples of the Spirit of God dwelling in our hearts. St. Paul confirms this
in his letter to the Corinthians. Do you not realize that you are God's temple,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1Cor 3:16.) The Eucharist is bread
that the Holy Spirit makes into the body and blood of Christ, so our bodies are
Spirit-filled (Mystical body of Jesus Christ.)
There is a water
feature on the south lawn of the Retreat Center that says: His Eye Is On The
Sparrow. Dwell in my heart, O Spirit of God, and consecrate me in Your grace.