Memorial of Saint
Alphonsus Ligouri, bishop and doctor of the Church
(Exodus 40:16-21.34-38; Matthew 13:47-53)
If “the glory of God is the human person fully alive,”
then the saints are that glory’s best representatives. St. Alphonsus Ligouri’s fulsome life
certainly reflected God’s greatness. He
was both a jurist and a canonist, wrote one of the premier works on moral
theology, administered a diocese as its bishop, and founded a vigorous congregation
of male religious (the Redemptorists) and an order of contemplative nuns. However, the first reading provides a more
traditional concept of God’s glory.
The Book of Exodus shows how God’s glory comes to rest on
the Ark of the Covenant which Moses has built.
That glory is seen as a cloud which fills the tent housing the Ark. Nothing is said of the nature of the cloud,
but the impression is given that it is a cumulus that permeates the tent like
the light from a 350 watt bulb. Perhaps,
however, that glory is a cloud of incense rising from the pots of worshippers.
We can exhibit God’s glory by both our worship and our
living. When we join in liturgical music
and prayer, God is given due praise. And
when we work for the good of all in the name of the Lord – even if we are only
sweeping the kitchen floor – we likewise point to God’s greatness.
