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Office Of Readings | Week 14, Saturday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Discourses Of Saint Augustine On The Psalms | The Lord Jesus Christ Is The True Solomon
‘The Lord Jesus Christ is the true Solomon.’
In this reflection on Psalm 126, Saint Augustine teaches that the true Solomon is not simply Israel’s famous king, but Jesus Christ himself. Solomon’s name means ‘Bringer of Peace’. While Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem, Christ builds the true temple, the Church—made not from stones but from living people, drawn from every nation and brought into unity.
Psalm 126 And The Temple
Psalm 126 begins: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.’ Augustine reminds us that although Solomon built the original temple, its deeper meaning points forward to Jesus Christ, who builds a greater house—his Church. This Church is where God dwells among his people, uniting both Jews and Gentiles through the peace of Christ.
Jesus Christ As The True Solomon
The name ‘Solomon’ is key: ‘peaceful’ or ‘peace-bringer’. Jesus Christ is the one who truly brings peace—not only peace between individuals but peace between God and humanity, and unity among all peoples. Saint Paul writes, ‘He is our peace, who made both one,’ (Ephesians 2:14) referring to Christ uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body.
Augustine describes Christ as the cornerstone who brings together two different walls—two peoples—and binds them into one structure: the Church. This image shows Christ as the foundation of the Church’s unity and peace.
Who Builds The Church?
Augustine also stresses that it is not human efforts that ultimately build the Church. Preachers and teachers, the apostles, and Saint Paul himself, labour hard, but unless Christ works within people’s hearts, their labour is in vain. Only Christ can truly convert hearts and build the Church from within.
This truth is humbling: while the Church needs faithful servants—priests, teachers, evangelists—it is Christ who opens minds, changes hearts and makes people part of his holy temple.
A Spiritual Temple
Saint Augustine’s words remind every Christian that this temple is not just the global Church but also the temple of each believer’s heart. Each of us is called to become a dwelling place for Christ, built by his grace.
Psalm 126 therefore speaks not only about church buildings or human achievements but about how our lives must be centred on Christ. Without Jesus at the centre, all our work, even religious work, is ultimately empty.
A Reading From The Discourses Of Saint Augustine On The Psalms | The Lord Jesus Christ Is The True Solomon
Because Solomon had built a temple to the Lord – a prototype and an image of the future Church, the Lord’s body, which is why the Gospel says Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up – because the Solomon of history had built that temple, our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Solomon, built a temple for himself. The name ‘Solomon’ means ‘Bringer of Peace’, and our Lord, the true Solomon, is the true bringer of peace, which is why the Apostle says He is our peace, who has made both into one. He is the true bringer of peace, who has taken two walls coming from different directions and joined them through himself, becoming the cornerstone that unites them: the believers who come from the people of the circumcision and the believers who come from the uncircumcised. He has made one Church from the two peoples, he has become their cornerstone and their peacemaker.
So because the historical Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, king of Israel, was prefiguring this peacemaker when he built the Temple, Scripture takes care that you should not think that he himself was the peacemaker. Scripture shows you another Solomon, by beginning a psalm with the words, Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. So the Lord builds the house, the Lord Jesus Christ builds a house for himself. Many labour to build it, but if he is not the architect, in vain have its builders laboured.
Who are they who work at building it? They are everyone in the Church who preaches the word of God or administers the sacraments of God. We all rush around, we all labour, we all build; and before us, others rushed, laboured, built; but unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. For this reason, when they saw some of the people fall, the Apostles, and Paul himself, said: You and your special days and months and seasons and years! You make me feel I have wasted my time with you. Because he knew that he had been built up by the Lord from within, he wept over these others because he had worked among them to no avail.
We speak in public, but he builds inside. How well do you listen? We can tell. What do you think of it? He alone knows, who sees your thoughts. It is he who builds, he who gives advice, he who instils fear, he who opens the understanding, he who directs your perceptions and leads you to faith; and yet we too work, as labourers in the harvest.
Prayer With Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ, true Solomon and Prince of Peace,
you are the cornerstone who unites all peoples into one holy Church.
Help us to labour faithfully in your service,
always remembering that unless you build the house, our work is in vain.
Grant us peace in our hearts and unity among your people,
so that together we may become your living temple,
a dwelling place for your glory.
Strengthen our faith, deepen our love, and guide us by your Spirit,
so that in all we do, we may glorify your name.
Amen.
Glossary Of Christian Terms
Solomon: King of Israel, son of David, known for his wisdom and for building the Temple in Jerusalem; his name means ‘peace’ or ‘peace-bringer’.
Temple: In the Old Testament, the sacred place where God dwelt among his people; in Christian theology, the Church is the true temple built by Christ.
Cornerstone: A stone that holds together two walls; a biblical image for Christ who unites different peoples (e.g. Jews and Gentiles) into one Church.
Psalm 126: A psalm beginning ‘Unless the Lord builds the house…’, used by Augustine as a reflection on Christ’s work in building the Church.
Church: Both the community of Christian believers and, in Augustine’s imagery, the spiritual temple in which Christ dwells.
Peace (Shalom): In the Bible, peace means more than the absence of conflict—it signifies wholeness, harmony, and right relationship with God and others.
Christian Art | Parousia | Second Coming | Lamb Of God, You Take Away The Sins Of The World Luke 17: 26-37 (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word) Early Christian thought about the Parousia – the second coming – was largely influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. In the early Christian community, expectation of Christ’s return was strong, and many Christians believed that it would happen in their lifetime. This belief is evident in the New Testament, where the authors express a sense of urgency in their writings and encourage their readers to be prepared for Christ’s imminent return. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the idea of the Parousia became more complex and nuanced. Theological debates arose around the nature of Christ’s return and the events that would precede it. Some theologians, such as Origen and Augustine, saw the Parousia as a spiritual event that was already happening in the Church. Others, such as the Montanists and the millenarians, believed in a literal, physical return of Christ and the establishment of a new, earthly Kingdom. In the Middle Ages, the Parousia was often associated with apocalypticism and the idea of a final, cataclysmic battle between good and evil – the last battle. The idea of the Antichrist, who would precede Christ’s return, became a popular theme in Christian literature, and the book of Revelation (Apocalypse – meaning to reveal, to uncover) was interpreted as a prophetic guide to the end of the world. Biblical Basis For The Parousia | The Second Coming The concept of the Parousia, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, is central to Christian eschatology and is supported by numerous biblical passages in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, there are numerous passages that refer to the coming of a Messiah who will restore Israel and bring about the final judgment. For example, in Daniel 7:13-14, it is written: ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’ This passage describes a divine figure who comes in the clouds and is given dominion over all nations. In the New Testament, the Parousia is described in greater detail, particularly in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. Jesus speaks of his return in many passages, including Matthew 24:30-31, where Jesus says: ‘And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Here, Jesus describes his return in power and glory, accompanied by angels who gather Jesus’ elect from all over the world. In Saint Paul’s letters, the Parousia is also described in detail. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Saint Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ This passage describes a resurrection of the dead and the gathering of believers to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. The language and imagery used to describe the Parousia are often dramatic and apocalyptic in nature. The Parousia is often described as a time of judgment, when the righteous will be separated from the wicked, and God’s justice will be fully revealed. The imagery of clouds, trumpets, and angels is used to depict the power and glory of Christ’s return. Theological Interpretations Of The Parousia | Jesus’ Second Coming The concept of the Parousia has been interpreted in a variety of ways throughout Christian history. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a theological framework that emerged in the 19th Century and has since become popular among some evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. Dispensationalists believe that history is divided into distinct periods or ‘dispensations’, each of which is marked by a particular mode of divine revelation and a specific plan of salvation. According to dispensationalist theology, the Parousia will be preceded by a period of tribulation, during which the Antichrist will establish a one-world government and the Jews will be restored to their homeland. The Parousia itself will involve a physical, visible return of Christ, who will establish a thousand-year reign on earth before the final judgment. Preterism Preterism is a theological interpretation of the Parousia that holds that many of the prophecies in the New Testament, particularly those in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the first century AD. According to this view, the Parousia occurred in a spiritual sense when Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the Church. Preterists argue that the tribulation and other end-time events predicted in the New Testament were fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Postmillennialism Postmillennialism is a theological view that holds that the Parousia will occur after a period of history in which the Church will gradually bring about the kingdom of God on earth. According to this view, the Church will spread the gospel throughout the world, and social, political, and economic conditions will gradually improve. Eventually, Christ will return to a world that has been largely transformed by the Gospel. Amillennialism […]
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