For we are the temple of the living God; As God said, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; Then I will welcome you, and I will be your Father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord almighty.”Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 6: 16-7: 1
Today’s first verse answers the Lord’s question from yesterday’s reading: “What is the house that you would build for me, and what is my resting place?” God declared that He would live within us – dwell within us. He will be our God, and we will be His people. He called us – centuries before Jesus walked the earth – to choose to live with Him, and not a life of sin. He said He will be our Father – even as Jesus called us to pray to our Father who is in Heaven. If we choose, we can live as His sons and daughters. St. Gregory of Narek recognizes this, and his Book of Lamentations is a gift he left for us – to pray and reconcile with God. Our sin may be great, or seem small (such as gossiping or telling white lies), but sin is the one thing that will separate us from our loving God. Let us choose this Lent to be reconciled to Him, every day, and in every way.
Let us pray with St. Gregory:
The venerable voices of the prophets,
foretold the liberating mission of your blessed coming,
which is beyond human telling.
Your victory in the battle for goodness, for a new,
immortal life of grace, baptism, resurrection, and renewal,
for our kinship with you and union with your Holy Spirit,
for forgiveness, liberation, and enlightenment,
for eternal purity, true bliss, in communion with the angels, in unfading glory,
is the plea for reconciliation upon our lips voiced by our Lord on high.
To you glory with your Father, with praise and blessing to the Holy Spirit,
Forever and ever.
Amen
Prayer 52 C
