The Empty Tabernacle

Dear Reader,

On this holy Good Friday, the day we remember Christ’s suffering on the cross under the weight of not just His body being held to wood by nails, but that of our sins… I was with my family attending the Stations of The Cross. As I knelt in front of the barren sanctuary and empty tabernacle, I was struck by a thought… A thought that I believe The Holy Spirit laid on my heart to share with you this night…

As I took in the empty tabernacle, I couldn’t help but think that that tabernacle, in all it’s golden glory, it’s hand-crafted ornate beauty that it is adorned with… Is just sitting there, existing but without purpose since it did not contain our Lord inside it… I mean, it’s pretty enough on its own, sure, but what purpose was it fulfilling without the presence of Christ inside of it?

Isn’t that the question we should all be asking of ourselves? But unfortunately, too many of us are too afraid to give an honest answer to that question… The harsh reality and truth is this… Without Christ within us, we are devoid of purpose, just like that tabernacle. We may still be “pretty” or look good to others on the outside. We may even feel good about how we make ourselves look to those around us… If we have no purpose, our looks don’t mean anything. Just like the beautiful tabernacle on the altar… We just sit there… Going through life thinking that how we look to others is all that matters and that it’s enough to get through life… If that tabernacle does not fulfill its purpose, it will be cast into the fire and destroyed… Just like us…

The bottom line is this… If we do not have God within us, most notably by taking in His Grace through the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation, we are empty and devoid of purpose… If we do not let Christ’s grace into our lives, we are as empty and without purpose, as the tabernacle I saw today…

This Easter, I pray that you will invite Christ into your life as you never have before… If you have questions about The Catholic Church, find a priest at a local parish near you… They’re there to help. If you’ve been away from The Sacraments, come back. Christ is there for you… Truly present… Waiting to fill you with His Grace and to help you fulfill His purpose for your life… God Bless and have a blessed Easter!

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15 : 4-5

Your Humble Servant in Christ,

William