17th Week in Ordinary Time: Thursday 1st August 2019

Where could the Israelites find and worship God during their wandering in the desert wilderness? There were no special places or holy sites, and temples or synagogues still lay far in the future. God taught them to make their own holy space. They built a tabernacle or tent of meeting. Sacred areas were clearly marked, and they established a definite ritual. God’s glory came and dwelt in their portable sanctuary. We have churches and other holy places today, but we can still create places and times that are special for us and where we encounter God in a very personal way. This can be a place — even a corner of a room or special chair — and time set apart. We can find God wherever we are.

Many have wondered why evil continues to exist in our world. Why doesn’t God just get rid of it? Why do we still have evil and sin in ourselves? The fishing parable gives us an answer: good and evil are mixed together. To uproot the evil might damage the good. They are allowed to exist side by side until the end of days. Christ and the angels will separate the two, and the evil will be left behind. In the meantime, we must be patient and continue walking in the Lord’s ways.

Lord, may the good in our world grow ever stronger.