Participating in Christ’s sacrifice during Lent signifies our association with the strength of his crucifixion
In the Gospel on the Third Sunday of Lent, we are told the story of Jesus visiting the temple in Jerusalem.
He found in the area those who sold oxen, sheep and doves, as well as the money changers.
He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture: “Zeal for your house consumes me.”
At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for 46 years, and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.
While he was in Jerusalem for the Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.
But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all.
He needed no one to give him testimony about human nature. He himself understood it well.
Christ’s action in the temple teaches us that the law of God serves as our source of strength, prompting us to establish proper alignment both in our relationship with God (as reflected in the first three commandments) and with our fellow human beings (as reflected in the last seven). Our sins serve as indicators of our vulnerabilities, which we must strive to overcome.
“Christ embodies the power of God;” his perceived weakness outweighs our strength. Participating in Christ’s sacrifice during Lent signifies our association with the strength of his crucifixion.
Thus, our calling is to exhibit strength rather than weakness.
The commandments signify not merely a set of regulations but an aspiration for a societal structure for which we should be willing to sacrifice, as Christ did on the cross.
We cannot passively watch as the world disregards the divine standard set by God’s law.
It is imperative that we display strength.
We must combat injustice, akin to Jesus overturning the tables of the money-changers.
The perpetrators of oppression and their corrupt systems should ignite our indignation. “Drive them out!”
Christ’s message beckons us to align every action with the principles of divine law, demanding unwavering adherence from all, regardless of the sacrifices entailed.
With this heightened comprehension, action is imperative.
For Catholics to confine themselves to the role of mere spectators is entirely unacceptable.
The Gospel underscores the sanctity of the temple of God, emphasizing its significance as the holiest of places.
Jesus expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of reverence displayed by people within the temple, a sacred space where God’s presence was uniquely manifest.
It was meant to be a place of communion with Him, where reverence and dialogue with the divine were paramount.
The intrusion of commercial activities was deemed inappropriate in such a sacred setting, prompting the Son of God to take action to purify the space.
Today, in the Holy Land, there is much death and suffering as Israel wages its war of retribution against Hamas for their despicable acts last Oct 7, 2023.
30,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians and many of whom are women and children, have died. Thousands more will be dying of hunger and sickness and especially when the Israel Defense Forces attack the city of Rafah.
What Israel is doing is the ultimate desecration of the temple of God, of the Holy Land.
Let us pray that this blasphemy stops, a permanent ceasefire is declared, all hostages held by Hamas released as well as Palestinian prisoners, and once and for all there is peace in the land of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Mohammad, and other prophets and of course Jesus, whom Christians believe is the son of God.
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