Readings: Ex. 20:1-17; 1 Cor. 1:21-25; Jn. 2:13-25
Stop Making My Father’s House A Marketplace.
1. This morning’s first reading presents us with the 10 Commandments – the Decalogue. The finger of God wrote this law of love. “When the Lord had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the commandments, the stone tablets inscribed by God’s own finger.” (Ex. 31:18). St Thomas Aquinas defines the law as “Ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community, and promulgated.” Therefore, the law was given to guide the people of God in the proper direction. “The Decalogue must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God’s great liberating event at the center of the Old Covenant. Whether formulated as negative commandments, prohibitions, or as positive precepts such as: “Honor your father and mother,” the “ten words” point out the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin. The Decalogue is a path of life: If you love the Lord your God by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply.” (CCC 2057). The gift of the Commandments is the gift of God himself and his holy will. In making his will known, God revealed himself to his people.
2. The whole meaning of the Ten Commandments will be revealed in Jesus Christ. Therefore, when asked which was the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus replied: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets.” (Mt. 22:37-40). The commandments: “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandments are summed up in this sentence: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:9-10).
3. The Gospel reading is seen as violating this law of love, which provoked righteous indignation from Christ. How could Christ have been so angry as to destroy things, beat people, knock down their tables, and spill their money? We are told that Christ arrives at the Jerusalem Temple for the Passover. The Temple had been under construction for 46 years. One had to pay half a shekel to gain access to the Temple. But if one comes from outside Jerusalem, Rome, or other places, you must convert your money to shekels. But those working in Bureau de Change were bandits. They charged more than was expected, thereby cheating the people and making it difficult for them to access God. This was stealing in the name of God. There were too many abuses, corruption, and manipulation in the Temple of God. And Jesus could not stand it. Jesus had to clean his Father’s house and restate the purpose of the sacred space reserved for the worship of God. My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a marketplace. Isaiah, the prophet, reminded us of the universal call for all people to come to the house of the Lord. “Them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; Their holocausts and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Is. 56:7).
4. On this third Sunday of Lent, we need some house cleaning. If the Lord comes into our hearts, home, or Church, what condition will he find them in? Don’t you think some cleaning needs to be going on as we speak? If the Lord inspected your heart today, what would he find? Will he find anger, bitterness, hatred, lust, immorality, unforgiveness, jealousy, pride, arrogance, laziness, gluttony, indulgence, or deceit? We may hide these indiscretions from people, but our hearts are open before the Lord. What about our spiritual poverty? Is the Lord calling you to pray more? Will he remind you that you are lacking in charity? What about your sacramental life? When did you go to confession last? Don’t you think it’s time you went to have your sins forgiven? Perhaps you do not pay attention in Church, or you do not help to keep the Church clean. What do you think Christ will say to you then? How respectful are we in Church? Do we see the Church as a place to mingle and renew our friendship or deepen our love for God and one another? Maybe Christ is asking you to look at your anger. What infuriates you? Are you upset when the poor are abused and deprived of the necessities of life just because they have no voice? Do you speak for them? Are you upset with how people use God to further their ends?
5. Dear friends, Christ wants to help us clean out our lives’ mess and clutters. He wants to change us into men and women who keep the commandment of love. May we never turn his house into anything but a house of prayer? Be blessed.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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