By David Peter csc –
Readings: Ex 20: 1-17; 1 Cor 1: 22-25; Jn 2: 13-25
Today, we step into the third week of the Lent. Lenten season is a time to renew our relationship with God. The first reading reveals the Ten Commandments that God gave to his children. The Ten Commandments are necessary for our well-being on earth. When we ignore and fail to live in accordance with the commandments, we choose evil which would destroy our happiness, lives and above all, our relationship with God, the Father. The reading speaks about the importance of the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is for people to have a short break from the relationships of the world and renew their relationship with God. In the second reading, St. Paul invites us to long for Christ who is proclaimed. Let us not seek signs and wisdom but Christ in true faith.
In the gospels, usually we see Jesus as loving, compassionate, and humble. But in today’s gospel we see Jesus as an aggressive person. The reason behind his anger is his love and relationship with his Father. We are emotional beings. For example, when our fathers are being treated badly, we tend to become violent and reactionary. This is the same feeling that Jesus had in today’s gospel. His relationship with his Father leads him to become violent and cleanse the temple, the house of his Father.
We are baptized in the name of Jesus and become the temple of the Holy Spirit and God’s children. Jesus compares himself with the temple because he knows that even if they destroy him, his Father willraise him up with greater glory on the third day. Today let us ask ourselves how we treat ourselves with respect to our body, mind, and heart. Today, it is an invitation for us to
cleanse and purify our total self, leaving all our bodily desires and habits that harm our bodies. Let us decide to respect ourselves and others with dignity, letting Jesus to cleanse us and renew our relationship with our
heavenly Father.