THW WORD BECAME FLESH

Friday of 33^rd week in Ordinary time, 2021

1Macc 4:36-37; 52-57

Ps 1Ch 29

Luke 19:45-48

My House

In the Gospel of today (Luke 19:45-48) Jesus came to the Temple. Unfortunately, what he saw was not the ideal situation, so he “began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of robbers.” His intention was to make the Temple Holy again by driving out those who were trading rather than worshipping there. This is an action some Jews, particularly the Essenes, had been waiting for. The Essenes were a group of Jews, unhappy about what the Temple had become, in the way the Sadducees were profiting from the Temple; and about the pact with the Romans to build a watch house in the Temple, where Roman soldiers mount sentry to protect the Temple. The Essenes left the city, to live at the Qumran, waiting till the Temple will be cleansed by the Messiah. The actions of Jesus must have delighted such a group. After the cleansing, Jesus taught there everyday.

As would have been expected, those whose trade was disrupted by Jesus, “The Chief Priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people, sought to destroy him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.” They thought only of themselves, of their loss arising from the action of Jesus. For that reason, they sought to destroy him. The next few days will be very dramatic. They will of course succeed in putting him to death but not his mission. They failed to recognise their opportunity for peace and reconciliation with God.

Many places of worship today have devised various means that turns the Temple into a money making machine. Those who do such however, are aware that they will be called to account by God someday. But we are the Temples of the Holy Spirit. Are we more interested only in things that bring material satisfaction? Is God taking the second place in your life? You better not destroy the temple of your body by sin so that God will not confirm that choice, by sending you to hell.

Let us pray: Lord, we are sorry for the many times we have failed to keep your Temple holy. Give us the grace to move away from the path of sin and surrender totally to your holy will. Amen.

+Remain blessed