Angry for the Right Reasons

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17

In those days, God delivered all these commandments:“I, the LORD, am your God,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves  in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;

you shall not bow down before them or worship them.

For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain. For the LORD will not leave unpunished the one who takes his name in vain.

“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land

which the LORD, your God, is giving you.

You shall not kill.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,

nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,

nor anything else that belongs to him.”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 19:8, 9, 10, 11

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25

Brothers and sisters:

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Gospel: John 2:13-25

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.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

Reflection
By Fidji Rivera-Sarmiento

“Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

Boy was He furious! Jesus was so caught up in anger to even make a whip out of the cords. And He drove them all out of the temple, sheep and all.

The American Psychological Association defines anger as –

“emotion characterized by antagonism toward someone or something you feel has deliberately done you wrong. Anger can be a good thing. It can give you a way to express negative feelings, for example, or motivate you to find solutions to problems. But excessive anger can cause problems. Increased blood pressure and other physical changes associated with anger make it difficult to think straight and harm your physical and mental health.”

This Gospel clearly depicts the human nature of Jesus. He too is capable of being angry. But He was angry for the right reasons. These days, we take so much self-entitlement that we feel we deserve to be angry every time we’re disappointed. We waste our energy over trivial matters, and I for one am guilty about it. With patience unchecked, and superiority filled to the brim, we fume at people and things that impede our routine.

Yes He was fuming in all places, but His emotions did not go in vain. His purpose is to defend the house of prayer from materialism and the self-righteous Pharisees and Sadducees. And I believe that by 'temple', the Scripture is also referring to our bodies, our person, our own selves. Jesus wants us to rid ourselves of useless materialism. He wants us to refocus on our life’s purpose. Yes Jesus is saying, “Away with life’s excesses – over-accumulation of money, overworking, self-gloating, eating and drinking, partying, too much social media and digital preoccupations!” I think Jesus is inviting us to be angry at these negativities for they will do nothing but distract us from what we should be centering on – the kingdom of God.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, there is anger in my heart and I cannot root it out. I know that I should calm down and offer the hurt and disappointment to You but my emotion is running away with me. Help me to overcome this weakness and give me peace of heart as well as mind. Let me learn from this experience and grow into a better human being. Amen.
(source: www.catholic.org/prayers)

Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what You want me to be – and becoming that person.
(St. Thérèse of Lisieux — of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church)