Christian Art | God’s Temple Is Holy And You Are His Temple
Office Of Readings | Week 14, Thursday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Discourse Of Saint Ambrose On Psalm 118(/Vg. 117) | God’s Temple Is Holy, And You Are His Temple
‘God can be found in man’s heart.’
The Soul As Temple | Patristic Context
Saint Ambrose echoes a theme common among the early Church Fathers — the soul as God’s temple. Saint Paul’s exhortation in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, ‘Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?’ was a foundational text for this spiritual anthropology. Saint Ambrose, like Saint Origen before him and Saint Augustine after him, understood this not merely as a doctrinal point but as a deeply pastoral invitation: the human soul is made to receive and house the divine.
In Ambrose’s context — fourth-century Milan — this was particularly relevant for catechumens preparing for baptism and for the newly baptised. To them he preached the urgency of opening their hearts to Christ, not passively but actively, through faith, repentance, and holy living.
Jesus Christ As The Knocking Bridegroom
Ambrose’s citation of the Song of Songs (5:2) and Revelation (3:20) situates this reflection firmly within biblical tradition. In both texts, Jesus Christ is depicted as the divine Bridegroom who stands at the door and knocks, desiring entry into the hearts of believers.
What is remarkable is Ambrose’s pastoral insight: Christ does not force his way into the human heart. He respects human freedom, appealing gently but persistently. This image is profoundly pastoral — Christ’s coming is certain, but whether he finds the soul open and vigilant depends on our response.
Ambrose connects this image with vigilance during tribulation: ‘You see that when the Word of God knocks hardest on your door, it is when his hair is wet with the dew of the night.’ Here Ambrose conveys the comforting truth that Christ draws closest in times of suffering, when believers are most tempted to despair. The ‘dew of the night’ symbolises the trials through which the Lord himself laboured and through which he accompanies us.
The Invitation To Watchfulness And Holiness
Ambrose emphasises the importance of vigilance. Echoing the Gospel parables about the faithful servant waiting for the master’s return (e.g., Luke 12:35-38), he exhorts the soul to remain alert. Faith, he says, is the door of the soul — through it Jesus Christ gains entry.
The psalm itself urges the soul to lift up its gates: ‘Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors, and let the King of glory enter.’ Ambrose interprets this poetically: the soul must elevate itself through righteousness so that Christ may enter triumphantly, bringing with him the grace of redemption.
Biblical And Liturgical Resonance
This homily has deep biblical resonance. Besides the Song of Songs and Psalm 24, Ambrose subtly alludes to liturgical themes, especially those of Advent — a season marked by vigilant waiting for Christ’s coming. In the Advent liturgy, the Church prays for God to ‘rend the heavens and come down’, a longing that mirrors Ambrose’s call to open the soul to Christ’s visitation.
A Reading From The Discourse Of Saint Ambrose On Psalm 118 | God’s Temple Is Holy, And You Are His Temple
My father and I will come to him and make our home with him. Open wide your door to the one who comes. Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the sweetness of grace. Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of eternal light that illuminates all men. Indeed that true light shines on all; but if anyone closes his shutters against it then he will defraud himself of the eternal light. To close the doors of your mind is to exclude Christ. Of course he is capable of entering even so, but he does not want to force his way in or seize you against your will.
Born of the Virgin’s womb, he shone on the whole world to give light to all. It is received by those who desire the brightness of perpetual light that no night can obscure. For the sun that we see daily in the sky is followed by darkness and night; but the Sun of righteousness never sets, since evil cannot defeat wisdom.
Blessed is he, therefore, at whose door Christ comes knocking. Faith is the door of the soul, and if it is strong then it fortifies the whole house. Through this door Christ enters. Thus it is that the Church herself says, The voice of my brother is knocking on the door. Listen to him knocking, listen to him asking to be let in: Open to me, my sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my hair with the drops of night.
You see that when the Word of God knocks hardest on your door, it is when his hair is wet with the dew of the night. In fact he chooses to visit those who are in tribulation and trial, lest one of them be overwhelmed by distress. So his head is covered with dew, with drops, when his body is labouring hard. It is important to keep watch so that when the Bridegroom comes, he is not shut out. If you are asleep and your heart is not keeping watch, he will go away without knocking; but if your heart is alert for his coming, he knocks and asks for the door to be opened to him.
Thus you see that our soul has a door, but we have gates too, as the psalm says: Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors, and let the king of glory enter. If you choose to raise your gates, the King of glory will come to you, celebrating the triumph of his own Passion. For righteousness has gates, as we see it written when the Lord Jesus speaks through his prophets: Open to me the gates of righteousness.
It is the soul that has its door, it is the soul that has its gates. To that door Christ comes and knocks, he knocks at the door. Open to him, therefore: he wishes to come in, the Bridegroom wishes to find you keeping watch.
Prayer With Jesus Christ
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the true light who comes to dwell in the hearts of those who open the doors of faith.
Help us to keep watch,
to live as temples of your presence,
to welcome you not just in word but in the deeds of holiness and charity.
When you knock at the door of our hearts,
grant us the grace to open without hesitation,
to receive you in faith and love,
and to persevere in vigilance,
especially in times of darkness and trial.
May we be ever attentive to your presence,
always ready to raise the gates of our souls
so that you, the King of Glory, may enter
and reign in us forever.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Saint Ambrose of Milan: A fourth-century bishop and Doctor of the Church, known for his theological writings, pastoral care, and influence on figures such as Saint Augustine.
Catechumen: A person undergoing instruction and preparation for baptism and entry into the Christian community.
Bridegroom image: A biblical metaphor, especially from the Song of Songs and Revelation, depicting Christ as the Bridegroom who seeks a loving relationship with the Church or individual souls.
Faith as the door of the soul: Ambrose’s metaphor suggesting that it is through faith that Christ gains entry into the believer’s heart.
Song of Songs 5:2: A poetic scripture often interpreted spiritually as an allegory of Christ’s love for the Church or the soul.
‘Gates, raise your heads’: A verse from Psalm 24:7, interpreted here as an exhortation for the soul to lift itself in readiness to receive Christ.
Sun of righteousness: A title for Christ derived from Malachi 4:2, symbolising his role as the bringer of divine light and healing.
Vigilance: The spiritual discipline of keeping one’s soul attentive and prepared for Christ’s coming, especially during times of tribulation.
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