Is there any need for building a house of God?

The Psalmist says, “How beloved is Your dwellings, O Lord, God of hosts! My soul longs, and faints for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh have exulted in the living God. For, the sparrow has found for himself a home, and the turtledove for herself a nest, where she may lay her young; Your altars, O Lord, God of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are all who dwell in Your house … For one day in Your courts is better than thousands” (Ps. 84).

Amid the world’s violent storms and under the pressure of ceaseless temptations, the Psalmist raised his eyes to see that the sparrow has found a home to settle and the turtledove a nest to protect its young but as for him, where can he go? Where can he take shelter? The Psalmist found no other place like the altars of God the Lord of hosts, for it is the reason for his joy and comfort. There, his soul ascends to heaven in order to dwell, where the world with all its vanities vanishes from before his eyes. As if by wings of Spirit, he is lifted to the divine throne where God, his personal beloved friend, appears before him. There, he is thrown into His bosom and leaning on His chest, he casts his burdens upon Him and pours out all his hidden secrets, confidences, and remonstrations; and he hears His voice and enters His glories.

Tertullian expresses the greatness of this boldness with which graces the faithful who are gathered in the house of the Lord, saying, “We assemble … that we might surround God with our prayers, as if by the power of arms. Such violence is pleasing to God.”

In the house of God, the faithful offer their worship not as a duty or a routine work but as their own right that they perform to receive the free gifts of the Holy Spirit. Their worship is their entrance into the Lord’s green pastures where they are immersed in the spring of lifegiving water, fed from the heavenly banquet, are made to drink from the chalice of salvation and enjoy the mysteries of God's everlasting love. The Spirit fills them so that they no longer seek anything but to remain in God’s presence. In their state of content, they no longer seek anything for themselves as much as for others. They pray for the rulers, ministers, councilors, bishops, priests, deacons, monks, and all servants of the Church, for the needy, the sick, the travelers, the prisoners, the distressed, and those who have fallen asleep. They even pray for animals, plants, rivers, and winds. When they are in the house of God, their hearts are raised to heaven so that their needs do not stop at just their personal daily needs but extends with love to include the need for the salvation of the world, its peace and transformation.

In the Church too, the faithful assemble together with the angels in the house of angels, where they partake in their heavenly liturgies, prayers, and praises. There, they remain in their company unceasingly and constantly singing the “new song” (Rev. 5:9) in an angelic

language. In the book The Shepherd of Hermas ,¹¹⁷⁸ he sees the angels rejoicing at the sight of the heavenly tower of God being completed in us, offering praise to God for His continued building of the spiritual Church.

There can be no doubt that the secret behind the glory of the house of God lies in the active guidance of the Holy Spirit in life of the people of God, as St. Augustine says, “He overflows with every gift upon the members.” This is also expressed by the words of St. Irenaeus : “For where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God and where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church, and every grace.”¹¹⁷⁹

St. Cyril of Alexandria says, “The Holy Spirit is the odor of Christ the Life-giver, a living and effective odor. Attracting to Him all the creation in order to partake in God's superior nature.”¹¹⁸⁰ Likewise in His house, Christ the Sun of Righteousness shines on us with His Spirit, so that we also shine and become living stars that pour out love to the world. We serve Him in humility and desire His salvation. The Spirit brings us to the mentality of the Cross so that each one of us desires to die with Christ for the sake of all.

In the house of God, we are granted a new mindset towards everything, even towards non-living matter and as a result we view everything around us as holy and blessed. The wheat (bread) is transformed to the Lord’s Body by the Holy Spirit, and likewise, wine is transformed to the Lord’s Blood. The incense raises the pure prayers that the angels may offer it before the divine throne. The Holy Spirit also descends on the oil, and what else do I say? Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, paper, textiles, and even bricks and sand are all sanctified when they are used to construct and furnish the holy house of God.

Thus, physical matter can be utilized in the service of heavenly things. We study the church building, not for the sole purpose of studying rituals or church architecture, but for the purpose of highlighting our spiritual understanding of God’s house so that we can apply these principles in our daily lives.