Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 19, 45-48

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out
those who were selling things, saying to them,
“It is written,
My house shall be a house of prayer,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area.
The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile,
were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose
because all the people were hanging on his words.

We are not merchants of the Gospel. We proclaim it!

1) Salespeople. Christ refers to those who are at the house of God, but are not in it. They are out there, not speaking about God, instead they are negotiating, and taking advantage of people’s faith in order to do business. Please do not negotiate with the name of God and do not let yourself be fooled by anyone who is doing so. Accept the fact that whoever goes to God doesn’t go in with a wallet in his hand. God is to be worshiped and adored, not to be used for ‘trade.’ We obviously have to support the church, but that’s different from using God’s name for business.

2) House of Prayer.  This is the center of our lives. The house of God is a house of prayer. We should not go to church just for pastoral events or only to meet with friends. The house of God is a place to pray and speak one-on-one with God, as well as praying with the community. How beautiful it is to worship God and take a moment to be with Him in His house!

3) Jesus taught, Jesus teaches. We shouldn’t speak about God with no substance, but rather we must learn about Him and let ourselves be taught by Him. God teaches us through moments of contemplation and also through reading and reflection. You need to learn about your faith. Today, you could start by reading about the life of a saint, for example. What do you think? Why don’t you try?

God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Always remember, Heaven is our goal.