Sanctity of the Church, the temple

The readings of this Sunday are beautifully woven together by the theme of the temple. However, what struck me today as I listened carefully to the Telugu readings during Mass is that all the readings speak about the interrelationship between the temple and the body!

I wondered with such clear indications and analogies how can Catholic faith still be anti-body! Perhaps the evident is not always that evident.

Anyway, referring to the body as the temple of the Spirit, St Paul exhorts the Corinthians to worship the Lord in the true Spirit. But often we get so lost in the temple that we forget that we are there to worship! We appreciate the architecture, the lighting, the statues, the floor, the sanctuary... but miss the One for whom all this is made. We hardly ever utter a word of appreciation for the One all this is made! I wonder then if so much of beautification is necessary at all - given the fact that it 'distracts' ones attention from the REAL BEAUTY!

For the past few Sundays that I've been attending Mass in the Parish, I've been observing two groups of people: the altar servers and non-Catholics who come in frequently. Watching those altar servers go about their work, I'm reminded of my younger days when serving Mass was a real honour. Those days there wasn't even any coupons or special prizes, just the thrill of serving Mass!

But those non-Catholics who come into the Church put to shame those of us 'born-Catholics' by the reverence they show in the Church. Granted that some of the educated ones are dictated by 'ambiance fear' - what others will say if they find out that I'm not one among them. Most of those non-Catholics are purely focused on the One whom they walk in to seek or converse with. Nothing else matters!

I remember Tony D'Mello's anecdote where the king on a hunting trip stops in the jungle to say his mid-day prayers. While doing so, a woman in a hurry runs across his prayer mat, oblivious of the man in prayer - oblivious also of the fact that he is the emperor. The king finishes his prayer, summons the lady and is about to pass sentence on her when she asks, "If I common person searching desperately for my lost husband am so focused on finding him, how come you, the emperor are so distracted when conversing with the Divine Master of all?"