Then Solomon said, “I have truly built you a princely house, a dwelling where you may abide forever.” (I Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020722.cfm
The Dedication of the Temple by Solomon was a truly big deal. The dedication of “Little Jerusalem” more popularly known as the Ave Maria Grotto on the grounds of Saint Bernard Abbey, Cullman, Alabama, was much humbler. Brother Joseph Zoettl (1878-1961) used left over plumbing supplies and junk to construct replicas of the Temple of Solomon and religious shrines. Not a “princely house” (Solomon would probably have been horrified!), but acceptable to the Lord nonetheless.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Monday, Week V, Ordinary Time
