Temple Of God

3rd Sunday of Lent
15 March 2009



Come, today, and listen to his voice: do not harden your hearts.

First reading Exodus 20:1-17
God spoke all these words. He said, ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
‘You shall have no gods except me.
‘You shall not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God and I punish the father’s fault in the sons, the grandsons, and the great-grandsons of those who hate me; but I show kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
‘You shall not utter the name of the Lord your God to misuse it, for the Lord will not leave unpunished the man who utters his name to misuse it.
‘Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath for the Lord your God. You shall do no work that day, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, nor your animals nor the stranger who lives with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that these hold, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why the Lord has blessed the sabbath day and made it sacred.
‘Honour your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God has given to you.
‘You shall not kill.
‘You shall not commit adultery.
‘You shall not steal.
‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his servant, man or woman, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 18:8-11

Second reading 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
While the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Gospel John 2:13-25
Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

During his stay in Jerusalem for the Passover many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he gave, but Jesus knew them all and did not trust himself to them; he never needed evidence about any man; he could tell what a man had in him.

Reflection
By Elizabeth R. Eguia

Jesus passed by the temple and He saw people selling oxen and sheep while others were busy with their own personal business matters. I was wondering…..why did He get angry along the way? In a typical scenario, within the vicinity of Baclaran Church, we can also find a lot of people selling different kinds of stuffs from prayer books, candles, and flowers to food, clothing, etc. Was our Lord angry with all of them too? Maybe these people are just there trying to earn a living so that they will have food on the table.

On the contrary, He really got angry because the people showed disrespect to the temple of God. The temple is the house of God. It is a place of worship. It is a place to discern and to be in union with the Father. Think of your house as a holy place. Wouldn’t you be annoyed when your neighbor is having a party outside your house at 1 am in the morning at the time when you are sleeping?

Our body is also a temple of God. It is a place of sanctuary. But every time we misuse it, every time we abuse it with drugs, alcohol and other vices, we are desecrating the most holy place where God can reside. One common example is being addicted to computer games. Most game players will use the money to go to online game shops instead of buying food. Their addiction causes them not to have enough sleep and rest and also forget to say their daily prayers.

In spite of Jesus’ anger, He still gives us the good news. He gives us hope. He said in the Gospel, “destroy the temple and in three days I will raise it up”. He is telling us to straighten our paths, correct our wrongdoings and He will help us along the way – from the many moments we fall and rise again until we have successfully completed our change for the better. It may not be easy for us but with him NOTHING IS DIFFICULT, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. Isn’t it that He rose from the dead after going through the cross?






Dear Lord, we praise and glorify You. We thank You for reminding us of our transgressions, every time we desecrate and abuse ourselves with vices and other unworthy actions. Teach us to correct our ways. Guide and strengthen us so that once again our bodies will be your rightful dwelling place. Amen.