On the sixth day, God completed the creation of both heaven and earth and their entire array. God looked at it and found it very good (cf. Gen. 1: 31). Therefore, all created creatures are good and indeed very good. That is the more reason God commanded mankind to enhance His creation through mankind’s cooperation (cf. Gen. 28). Therefore, the care and enhancement of creation is a duty and responsibility of all.

However, in order to carry out this care and enhancement, we need first and foremost to acknowledge and appreciate the Creator Himself. Solomon in our first reading makes that recourse to the Lord Himself. He acknowledges God and builds Him a Temple a physical presence of the Lord amongst the people of Israel. He dedicates this temple in His honour. In his prayer Solomon acknowledges God’s sovereignty and power. Solomon pleads for God’s blessings and forgiveness on all who will pray towards this temple – the living presence of God.

We equally build a church for the community for the same reason to acknowledge the sovereignty and power of God amongst us. Likewise we benefit from His presence and blessings and extend the same to others. Through the church, we have a place of worship and instructions on the mercy and love of God. Through the church a faith-community grows with whom to share the good news. Without the church we would have been deprived of the Scriptures, sacraments and the memory of saints

However, the church has to be on the alert to ensure that its own traditions conform to God’s word, especially as spoken by Jesus, the Son of God. Every so often the church has to renew itself, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to purify its traditions so that they correspond more closely to the true spirit of the gospel.

Let us therefore pray that, in every undertaking, first and foremost we must acknowledge God and His presence amongst us. Let us implore Him to bless our responsibilities, and to bless all those that will be associated with our task. May our mission be guided by the Holy Spirit to be a source of unity, tolerance and a pinnacle of love in society, amongst our cultures and in our different political persuasions.