3rd Sunday of Lent
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
Like the desert (Lent week 1) and the mountain (week 2), the Temple is a place of special encounter with God. However, today we are not going to see the glorious face of Jesus; we are going to see his angry face. At the same time Jesus is kind and merciful, we should not take his kindness for granted. His love is forever yet, he corrects our faults. By chasing those buying and selling out of the Temple, Jesus gives us a foretaste of his wrath on those who do not obey the commandments of God. The Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17) given by God are meant to be obeyed and kept by all. Yet many of us are taking it for granted. God is the Father of us all and he wants us to be upright.
For this reason, St. Paul tells us that, “while the Jews demand miracles and Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:22-25) We preach Christ because he is the power and wisdom of God. Those who follow Christ are on the right path because he has the message of eternal life. Those who do not know Christ lack wisdom.
Since they lack wisdom, they turned the house of God, which is meant for prayer into a marketplace. Jesus proved to them that he had a strong desire to dwell in God’s house forever. He exclaimed, “zeal for your house will devour me.” (Jn. 2:13-25) This zeal to dwell in God’s house forever is the motivating factor behind Jesus’ mission. He has come to serve, not to be served, and to give his life as a ransom for many. The house of God is the house of prayer and worship.
On the spiritual level, the temple refers to every one of us. St. Paul tells us in the First Letter to the Corinthians (3:16-17) that we are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in us. Therefore, if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy the person, for God’s temple is Holy, and that we are.
For those who feel that going to church to worship God is not necessary, Jesus has proved to them that we meet in God’s house for adoration and prayers. The church is a sacred place. It should be kept holy and reserved for things concerning God. When we gather in the church, we are in the presence of the almighty and ought to maintain the decorum befitting his presence. May our Lenten observance help us to experience the presence of God among us.
Let us love our parish Church as “our Heavenly Father’s house” and make it a holier place by our care for it, by our active participation in the liturgy, by offering our time and talents in the various ministries, and by our financial support for its maintenance and development.
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