Christ Cleansing the Temple

Reflections for Sunday, March 8th, 2015, the 3rd Sunday of Lent. Scripture Readings can be found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/030815-third-sunday-lent.cfm

Saint Augustine once said, "God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."

Our Gospel passage for the 3rd Sunday of Lent is one of the few found in all four Gospels. The Synoptics place the event of Jesus chasing out the money changers from the temple during Holy Week. The fourth Gospel makes the story the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Some scholars suggest that this event is ultimately what got Jesus arrested. For the author of the fourth Gospel, however, this event begins Jesus' public ministry. There are many interpretations among biblical scholars as to what Jesus was actually doing. Some suggest that he was symbolically destroying the temple cult. There was a great deal of tension between the kingdom of God movement headed by a certain Galilean peasant (Jesus of Nazareth) and the temple's wealthy priests, who were hated as Roman collaborators.

Looking at today's Gospel through the focus of Saint Augustine's quote that we are God's holy temple, what are we to do in response to the cleansing of the temple by Jesus? Is our "temple" clean and are we in good relationship with God and with those around us?

In our first reading from Exodus we are reminded of the Ten Commandments and how we are to respond to God's call to love Him and to love our neighbor. Reviewing over these commandments and using it as a examination of conscience before going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a good way to start.

While examining our conscience, let us think of ways where we didn't include God in our lives. The first commandment reminds us to not to have other "gods" in our lives: "You shall not have other gods beside me." (Exodus 20:3). Daily do we thank God in the morning for the new day, and in the evening thank Him for the blessings of the day that just concluded? Or are we just too wrapped up with our cares and concerns and become too busy to include God  in them? Do we turn these cares and concerns over to God to help us through them?

While we are thinking of these cares and concerns, do we think of things and/or people that annoy us regularly?  We can ask ourselves  if there is anything going on in our lives that contributes to these problems and concerns.

What are the things that we can get rid of in our lives that clutter our relationship with God? Gossip at the office or in the family?  An indulgence that might be fostering  a spirit of selfishness?

What we fail to do often depletes our spiritual health as much as what we do wrong.

In addition to frequent use of the Sacrament of Confession, I would like to suggest that you find a Spiritual Director to help you find out where you are in your relationship with God. In all these things remember that we need the Grace of God to accomplish that "spring cleaning" that will lead us closer to the Lord and the joy of Easter.

Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever!