Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs | USCCB
In our gospel for today we hear of the Lord driving
out those that were selling in the temple. What these people were selling were
usually pigeons and doves that people would use to offer sacrifice to the Lord
God. But these sellers were taking advantage of the people that needed these
animals for their sacrifice. The sellers were overcharging for these animals
that the people needed for their sacrifice. They weren’t interested in true
prayer and worship but rather in making a profit at the expense of the people. Further,
the focus become more on buying the animal for sacrifice rather than on
worshiping God in the temple. The focus should always be on having God as the
center of our worship, not on buying something to bring to the altar for
sacrifice.
Let us ask ourselves: when we enter Church: are we
focused on developing a closer relationship with God? Or do we allow other
things in our lives distract us from being focused on praising God? Entering church,
we need to be focused on developing a closer, loving relationship with God. If
we come into church with cares and worries that may be part of our lives, place
them at the foot of the altar. Don’t allow these cares and worries to distract
your attention from worshiping God. Our Lord doesn’t want us to be thinking about
what we need to do once we leave or about the problems we may be facing. He
wants us to be present to him and to offer all our cares into his loving arms. These
cares and worries can be like those sellers that steal our attention from God
and prevents us from growing closer to Him.
Our cares and concerns about our own problems are the
sacrifices that we need to bring before God each time we enter church to pray,
or even during our private time at home in prayer. Placing our cares and
concerns into God’s loving hands is a beautiful sacrifice that God will be
pleased with. He will bring us peace and comfort once we say, “Lord, I trust in
you.”
Regarding prayer, Pope Saint John Paul II said, “In prayer you become one with the source of our true light – Jesus
Himself.”
May God’s love and peace always surround us during our
times in prayer, whether at church or at home. And may we have that peace that
can come only from God through Jesus Christ.
Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteInteresting connection. I never associated the corruption of the selling of animals for sacrifice at an unfair profit with distractions & concerns with our problems or our plans.
Most of the time when I come to Mass my focus is on doing a good job with whatever ministry I am performing at the Mass, whether it is as lector, EM or singing in the choir. I do get distracted, but a good part of the time I turn the distractions into praying about whatever problem, issue or person comes to mind. Fortunately, as St. Augustine has said, when we sing we pray twice, so, yes, I do think a lot about the technical aspects of singing, such as breathing, placement, how long to hold a note, timing, harmony, etc. But I also focus of the words of the song so that my singing is actually prayer.