"Zeal for your house will consume me"
John 2: 13 - 25
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030721-YearB.cfm
It’s an interesting fact about human nature that when we
are told not to do something, we often find that “forbidden fruit” to be even
more enticing. As young children we tend
to be more curious and less concerned about danger than more experienced
adults; although not true in every case.
Typically, children will test the patience of their
parents in this regard. Teenagers may
think, “Well, why not? I’ve never done this. My friends tell me there’s nothing
wrong and its fun. I’m not hurting
anyone.” We adults, while pretending to be more enlightened may skirt around
the “shall nots” by creating a kind of compromise or we minimize the seriousness
of an action in order to avoid taking responsibility or living with guilt. Have
you noticed that famed politicians or sports figures profusely apologize for
their scandalous behavior when it becomes public, yet in private it seems to be
acceptable? We sometimes refer jokingly to “catholic guilt” which implies there
are many things, potential sins, which we can commit and so some live with a sense
of burdensome hyper-responsibility. That sense seems to be waning a bit these
days, however.
This Sunday’s reading from Exodus near the mid-point of
Lent we hear a listing the Ten Commandments.
God is presented as both a liberator and a legislator. So if we only
look at the “shall not” part of the Commandment we may miss their positive
force. In the Gospel we see an offsetting
out of character Jesus cleansing the sacred temple of crass financial commerce
in a forceful display of prophetic righteousness. “Get out of here!” he essentially cries out
to the money changers and displays those words with aggressive and disruptive
behavior. He makes a whip out of cords and turns over their tables! What’s going on?
To the Jews the temple was the most sacred place on
earth. Here God chose to dwell among his
chosen people. It was the center of Jewish life both worship, liturgy and
commerce. Here heaven and earth meet and sacred worship is carried out where
the people see this place as the center of all they hold dear in their
existence.
Yet, it has become a place of compromise where worship
was abandoned or even false gods were worshiped which brought abomination. The money changers, while providing an
essential exchange for the temple tax and animals for sacrifice, should have
been left outside the temple. Many looked the other way, including religious
leaders of the time, and gave in to the lower temptation of using it for
financial advantage. It needed to be
purified and returned to its original purpose as a sacred place. Jesus takes it upon himself to carry out by
this forceful symbolic action as coins are scattered, animals flee and a great
ruckus surely must have been made. The ring of the early prophets must have
been in his ears for they too called the people to right worship.
The Commandments of God in our reading from Exodus and
this cleansing of the temple by Jesus provide a good Lenten exercise for
us. After the confrontation by the
religious leaders: “What sign can you
show us for doing this?” In answer, Jesus speaks of his body, though the
reference is lost, as a “temple” that will be raised up after three days. An
obvious allusion to the resurrection. His Body, his person and faith in him,
will be the new place of worship. In
Christ Jesus God abides. Those who come
to him will meet the living God and be cleansed of sin through his mercy and
love.
So, we have the Commandments of God, given through Moses
generations before the coming of Christ, as a lasting sign, a point of
reference, for the sacred Covenant with God and humanity. Yet, our present society pushes back on any
sense of absolute truth or religious restrictions. However, these commandments
provide a fundamental examination of conscience this Lent. There truths are timeless and absolute. These are not multiple choice, flexible
guidelines, or mere suggestions. For if the Body of Christ is the new Temple,
and his Spirit dwells in us as Paul reminds us, then it is our person whom
Christ will cleanse. He can drive out of
us all that is not centered on God and love for others. The Commandments remind us of how we are to
be in right relationship with God and others.
Do I love God above all things? Is he the center of my existence? God alone
should be my greatest desire. Do I keep the Lord’s Day sacred by attending Mass
and by offering a day aside for the Lord?
Do I respect my neighbor’s possessions and family members? Do I keep my own body clean as a temple of
God? Do I respect the sanctity of human person from conception to natural death?
Am I honest and trustworthy? Can I be a
person of integrity? The “shall nots”
are in place not for restriction but for freedom. They guide us to balance our lives in harmony
with God and others.
We are cleansed by Christ in the sacraments, in our good
works, in sharing with a faith community, and particularly through the Holy
Eucharist which is Christ himself truly present in the center of the
community. His grace is mercy,
forgiveness, love and a powerful “detergent” of grace that calls us to
holiness. In and through the Church
Christ is present in his Body and members.
His cleansing grace comes to us.
The earliest of Christian communities and the preaching
of Paul himself centered on the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. There was no other truth more central than
that.
So, this Lent let’s allow ourselves to be cleansed and
renewed through the power of Jesus Christ as he enters the temple of our
persons to prepare us for new life at Easter.
O God, author of every
mercy and of all goodness, who in fasting,
prayer and almsgiving
have shown us a remedy for sin,
look graciously on this confession of
our lowliness, that we, who are bowed down
by our conscience,
may always be lifted up
by your mercy.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
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