People marveled at the beauty and opulence of the Temple, but it is destroyed and gone. People have marveled over the beauty of church buildings, many of which are gone too. Their external beauty was impressive, but failed to bring any nourishment and substantial food to its people. A fig tree full of leaves is a beautiful thing to behold, but if it is full of beautiful leaves it means the tree has no fruit, nothing to feed and nourish others. Such is the case very often with the opulence of religions.
What genuinely feeds and nourishes people from religion are works of love and mercy: healing, liberating, nourishing; feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and imprisoned, welcoming the immigrant and refugee. All these things nourish body and soul of both giver and recipient. All of these things honor the true temple of God, the human person, the love for whom is our only command from God.
The external beauty of religion is impressive, but how often is it like the beauty of Jezebel or Delilah, a beauty that leads us astray, one that is merely superficial but leaves us barren. Such beauty will fade and die away, but the beauty of love and mercy produce fruit endlessly that nourishes and sustains all people wherever they are.
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