Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Revelation 3:20
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Second reading,
Office of Readings – July 13, 2017
From an exposition
of psalm 118 by Saint Ambrose, bishop
God’s temple is
holy; you are his temple
My Father and I will come and make our home with him. Let
your door stand open to receive him, unlock your soul to him, offer him a
welcome in your mind, and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the
treasures of peace, the joy of grace. Throw wide the gate of your heart, stand
before the sun of the everlasting light that shines on every man. This true
light shines on all, but if anyone closes his window he will deprive himself of
eternal light. If you shut the door of your mind, you shut out Christ. Though
he can enter, he does not want to force his way in rudely, or compel us to
admit him against our will.
Born of a virgin, he came forth from the womb as the
light of the whole world in order to shine on all men. His light is received by
those who long for the splendor of perpetual light that night can never destroy.
The sun of our daily experience is succeeded by the darkness of night, but the
sun of holiness never sets, because wisdom cannot give place to evil.
Blessed then is the man at whose door Christ stands and
knocks. Our door is faith; if it is strong enough, the whole house is safe.
This is the door by which Christ enters. So the Church says in the Song of
Songs: The voice of my brother is at the door. Hear his knock, listen to him
asking to enter: Open to me, my sister, my betrothed, my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is covered with dew, and my hair with the moisture of the night.
When does God the Word most often knock at your door? —
When his head is covered with the dew of night. He visits in love those in
trouble and temptation, to save them from being overwhelmed by their trials.
His head is covered with dew or moisture when those who are his body are in
distress. That is the time when you must keep watch so that when the bridegroom
comes he may not find himself shut out, and take his departure. If you were to
sleep, if your heart were not wide awake, he would not knock but go away; but
if your heart is watchful, he knocks and asks you to open the door to him.
Our soul has a door; it has gates. Lift up your heads, O
gates, and be lifted up, eternal gates, and the King of glory will enter. If
you open the gates of your faith, the King of glory will enter your house in
the triumphal procession in honor of his passion. Holiness too has its gates.
We read in Scripture what the Lord Jesus said through his prophet: Open for me
the gates of holiness.
It is the soul that has its door, its gates. Christ comes
to this door and knocks; he knocks at these gates. Open to him; he wants to
enter, to find his bride waiting and watching.
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