March 3
Third Sunday of Lent
“Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.”
Readings
Reflection
While I think it would be safe to say that we are not accustomed to nor comfortable imagining Jesus making a whip out of cords/driving people away from the temple, it is a matter of crucial importance for our reflection! Jesus is attentive to the space dedicated to the dwelling place of God, and he makes his concern known that the Temple is being defiled, abused, and neglected.
In our readings today, we can receive Jesus as the perfect embodiment of the commandments (Ex 20) and of the future or new Temple, not made with human hands—we see in him the presence of divine life on earth, and by the prediction he makes of his imminent ‘destruction,’ i.e. death and resurrection, Jesus is preparing us for worshiping the temple of his Body and for the new way he will continue his dwelling among us. Beyond our comprehension, this is, as St. Paul says “a hidden, mysterious, wisdom” that is stronger and greater than anything imaginable by our human knowledge (cf. 1 Cor 1-2).
As we have come to see, not only does Jesus invite us to pay full attention to him and his authority, through the institution of the Sacraments we are invited to become his living temples. The assurance of constant access to his life is offered to us through sanctifying grace (which will flow to us precisely from his Cross and Resurrection) —not just as something to be physically near, but very seriously is a source of life that can take up residence in us! Through Baptism, we quite literally become Temples that house the divine life that was poured into us, and the subsequent Sacraments will continually adorn the temples of our bodies. Incredible how close God chooses to come to us!
Now reconsider what we experience in Jesus’ passionate concern for the wellbeing and sacredness of the Temple. How might we be profaning the sacred space of his dwelling place within us? Wouldn’t you want Jesus to also drive away all that presents obstacles to his life flourishing within us? What consumes the once sacred space in your heart and soul that should be solely extended to him for residence? Is it resentment and bitterness perpetually harboring in us? Pride? Self-hatred or discouragement? Is it habitual sin? Disordered attachment to worldly goods? Insecurities and anxieties?...
If you’re like me, you certainly know what most threatens your temple! But above all, remember the beauty of the powerful love from Jesus that comes from his insistence to fight for your purification. He fervently desires to abide in us for our freedom and peace…just imagine if we really allowed Jesus to actually cleanse us and make us whole again.
I suggest starting with the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the deep clean, and then let prayer and his life in the Eucharist do the rest. :)
Peace,
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