Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 2, 13- 22
Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
“What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said,
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.
Take care of what’s sacred
1. Went up to Jerusalem. It is the place of conflict, of internal struggle, of judgment, of comments and criticism, of pain and also of prejudice. That Jerusalem that Jesus goes up to may also be in your life today. It might be a physical place, like your own home or your workplace, or your parents’ home, or even your parish. Your Jerusalem can also be a person who doesn’t treat you well or a concrete situation that you have to experience, which society ends up pointing out to you. The issue here is not what others do to Jesus, but how Jesus deals with it. Today I invite you to change your attitude towards your Jerusalem, that you may know how to face it not victimizing yourself, but as the protagonist of your life. If it is necessary for you to set limits, then you must do so. Comments, gossip and criticism didn’t prevent Jesus from going to Jerusalem but He did not allow what they said about him to enter his heart. Leave aside whatever doesn’t contribute to your life!
2. A whip out of cords. Jesus teaches us to honor and take care of our sacred places and distinguishes prayer from commercialization. I believe that, in recent years, we haven’t taken care of God’s house and God’s things and in this I even include consecrated people. I think that we’ve even left aside details that we used to have: greeting when walking by a church making the sign of the Cross, taking flowers or candles to the temple as a gesture of devotion, teaching our children to respect God’s house. Focusing on and participating in mass, arriving on time, turning off our cell phone, saving conversation for after the Mass and dressing with decorum. I dare say that we’ve also bought and sold sacred things, offering illusions and even selling identities. In many communities I don’t know if there are sellers of sacred things today, but I have found many scribes and judges who condemn, label and interfere.
3. Prayer. The temple is a house of prayer and today, as we celebrate the Lateran Basilica, the Pope’s cathedral, let’s ask God that we may pray more and offer the world a greater atmosphere of prayer. We should value our temples and contribute to their beauty. It seems to me that this is a challenge for you and for me. How much we have to learn from so many missionaries who taught us about neatness in temples. Today I propose that you think about what you’re doing to take care of and respect sacred places.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
