The Feast of St Agatha | Monday 5 February 2024

Today is Monday the 5th of February, the feast of St Agatha, in the fifth week of Ordinary time.

The Convivium Singers sing Cantique de Jean Racine by Fauré, a hymn to the invincible power and utter goodness of God, whose fire lights up the darkness, whose grace overcomes all evil. As you enter into prayer today, you can entrust yourself to that grace, to that powerful goodness, and place yourself in the hands of your loving God.

Verbe égal au Très-Haut, notre unique espérance,
Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux,
De la paisible nuit nous rompons le silence:
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux.
Répands sur nous le feu de Ta grâce puissante;
Que tout l'enfer fuie au son de Ta voix;
Dissipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de Tes lois!
Ô Christ! sois favorable à ce peuple fidèle,
Pour Te bénir maintenant rassemblé;
Reçois les chants qu'il offre à Ta gloire immortelle,
Et de Tes dons qu'il retourne comblé.
Word of the Highest, our only hope,
Eternal day of earth and the heavens,
We break the silence of the peaceful night;
Saviour Divine, cast your eyes upon us!
Pour on us the fire of your powerful grace,
That all hell may flee at the sound of your voice;
Banish the slumber of a weary soul,
That brings forgetfulness of your laws!
O Christ, look with favour upon your faithful people
Now gathered here to praise you;
Receive their hymns offered to your immortal glory;
May they go forth filled with your gifts.




Today’s reading is from the first book of Kings.

1 Kings 8: 1-7, 9-13

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. All the people of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the festival in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. So they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had placed there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Then Solomon said, 'The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.’

Try and paint this scene in your imagination. The scale of it, and the detail. The order, amidst the chaos. Richness and holiness combined. The glory of the Lord meeting human effort. What stands out to you?

The ark of the covenant and all it represents: a promise, a holy agreement between God and humanity.

God’s commandments on tablets of stone. The role of obedience.

The reverence in the inner sanctuary, the most holy place.

The Lord dwelling in thick darkness.

Where are you in the midst of it all?

Listen to the passage again and place yourself in the scene. Watch as Solomon, on a human level, directs the proceedings. Can you sense the presence of God all around? The connection between God and humanity?

Where might you long for the presence of God? By your being in this very space, you are making a move. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” we are promised. Be assured. Speak your prayer in this holy place.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.