Third Sunday of Lent, First Scrutiny of the Elect/ Lenten Mass Readings
Also Read: Mass Readings for 3 March 2024 Mass Reading Reflection for 3 March 2024
Gospel: John 2: 13-25
Jesus is angry! Jesus is angry because the house of His Father is being converted to a marketplace. He is angry because the temple is filled with filth, the filth of hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and injustice.
Jerusalem temple was not the ultimate concern of Jesus. If it were, the temple would not have been destroyed. Jesus was trying to make some important points.
Is Jesus happy with our temples today? The temple is the dwelling place of God. There are three temples that we have to take care of well and free of all filth.
1. Our Parish Church or community chapel.
Many are tempted to convert our churches to a marketplace. Sure, we don’t see anyone selling cattle or doves in our churches. But we are tempted to convert the church to a spiritual marketplace.
When we participate in the Holy Mass, take part in an adoration, or go for a pilgrimage with a material gain in mind, we consider our church a marketplace and God a vendor. It is blasphemy if we attend the Church or take part in pilgrimage conditionally.
Of course, we can ask for material blessings in our prayers, but we should be ready to ask as Jesus did. Jesus in Gethsemane asked to spare Him from the cross, but He added a simple sentence of total submission, “But, let thy will be done.” (Mt 26:39).
2. Our homes.
“Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am amidst them.” (Mt 18:20). A Christian family is a temple where Jesus is present and worshipped. If you love your spouse expecting love in equal measure, you are converting your house into a marketplace. If you have a price tag for your time, concern, forgiveness, or sacrifice you are living in a market.
Even when you raise your children teaching them of the value of hard work and money, you shall be careful not to attach a price tag to your love, time, care, and mercy. When we create a just atmosphere at home, God shall be pleased and will make it another temple. Such houses are called ‘House Churches.’
3. Our hearts.
Our hearts are the favorite temples of God. When God and His plan for us have the most important pedestal in our lives, we are the walking temples of God. We are fragile. We should have the humility to accept our failures. We should be the ones asking Jesus to clean our hearts with a whip if necessary.
When we read the gospels carefully, we see Jesus using His spiritual whip to cleanse the hearts of Peter and other apostles, and His disciples like Nicodemus. At times we see Jesus rebuking them and scolding them. There are other times when He challenges them and even belittles them in front of children.
He also reassures them and instills hope in them. He cleans hearts by generously forgiving the sins. His attempt to clean the hearts fails against the walls of hypocrisy, greed and self-righteousness. That was the reason He harshly criticized the Pharisees and the scribes.
Let us invite Jesus with all humility to clean our little temples.
Amen.
