Jesus Cleans House
We are just about half way through the season of Lent. I think, this is a very good time to take a moment to stop and reflect on the past three weeks. Let us ask ourselves: How have I approached this time? Has something changed in me or do I feel any different? As part of our Easter preparation, our bible texts today (Third Sunday of Lent) are worth taking a closer look at.
The Lessons of Lent
Allow me to briefly express my thoughts and describe the meaning and goals of Lent.
- This is a time for opening up our fundamental senses.
- To focus on enhancing and strengthening our mind and intellectual growth
- To be aware of our physical health and well-being
- and most importantly to nurture our relationship with God and with each other.
This is why during the season of Lent we are called to reduce and to simplify our lifestyle. The road to simplification can reveal aspects of life that are hidden within us. By removing external distractions and unnecessary possessions - we become more attuned to our internal thoughts, emotions and beliefs. This time of Lent offers us the opportunity to be fully aware of oneself and others. It allows us to be touched by others and to respect their dignity.
Sunday's Readings
In our First Reading from the Old Testament (Ex 20:1-17) we were presented with the Ten Commandments. The introduction in Exodus offers valuable advice for living together with dignity and in freedom. The fundamental principles simplify the complex relationship between God and Mankind to one of basic attitudes. Jesus himself condenses these Ten Commandments even further.
In the Gospel of Matthew (22:37-40), He is tested by a scholar of the law, one of the scribes, who questioned him about the most important commandment. Jesus answered him, “You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart with all your soul and with all your mind. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-40). Here we see that love for God and neighbor are inseparable.
In his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 1:22-25), Paul simplifies it in his own way. He writes: "Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom." The Jews repeatedly demanded signs of God's greatness and power. They wanted Him to reveal Himself in all His strength and glory. They sacrificed animals to appease God. They developed a cult of sacrifice with precise purification regulations and rituals. In this way, the Temple – which was incredibly important in their religion and spirituality – became a place of commercial activity, trade and transactions. When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and entered the Temple, he saw it: something is very wrong here. Anger, disappointment, and rage rise in Jesus, prompting him to act. Nowhere else in the Gospels is Jesus so angry. His reaction demonstrates the deep religious significance of the Temple. The Temple, the house of HIS Father, is supposed to be a house of prayer and not a marketplace, not a dance around a golden calf.
And there are many golden calves: corruption, exploitation, and war.
All of which are like cancers in countless states, driving millions of people into poverty, despair and displacement.
Paul presents another way of life. He states in his letter a believed and lived truth. Paul says: "We proclaim Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."
Living The Message
Our message for you today my friends is this: With God beside us, we can face the storms of life. We know that life strengthens us, it challenges us, and at times with all its highs and lows, it will overwhelm us. Through and in all of this we are never alone. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, our existence is connected with his faith and love in God. Following in Jesus’ footsteps, we must love God and our neighbor as ourself. In loving God and our neighbor, mankind finds what it longs for and needs:
a place of fulfillment,
a place of joy and happiness,
a place of comfort,
and a sense of unity with others.
I wish you a blessed Lenten journey toward the Resurrection, filled with many encounters with God, with nature, and with others - encounters that will connect and draw us closer to God. Praised be Jesus Christ. - Now and forever. Amen.