III Sunday of Lent:[2015]: Ex 20:1-17; 1Cori 1:18, 22-25; Jn 2:13-25

III Sunday of Lent:[2015]: Ex 20:1-17; 1Cori 1:18, 22-25; Jn 2:13-25

Introduction:  Keep our covenant agreement with Jesus Christ by becoming people of the new covenant, loving others as Jesus did, keeping our parish church holy and fully dedicated to divine worship and keeping our hearts cleansed, just, holy and pure temples of the Holy Spirit. 

Exegesis:   Like the desert (Lent week 1) and the mountain (week 2), the Temple (week 3) is a place of special encounter with God. But today we are not going to see the glorious face of Jesus; we are going to see his angry face. Jesus is not happy with what he sees precisely because the way the Temple worship has been organized no longer reflects God’s original idea of a worshipping community.

Why was this church building built? If such a question is asked here, the answers will be very interesting. Unexpected creative imaginations will be the result. But, the real answer is that it was built to be a temple. It was not built just to be a meeting place, or an auditorium, or a theater where we go to experience a drama. A temple is a building that is purpose-built. Our church building here has one chief purpose, namely to immerse us in the drama of our relationship with God. Note that I said “our” relationship with God, not “my relationship with God.” While we may come here for private prayer, the main reason is because this where we as God’s family play out our roles in the great drama of God coming to us and our going back to God our Father.

Each one of us here is a temple that is purpose-made. Because of our baptisms each one of us here is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Each one of us here was brought into being and designed by God for a purpose, namely the purpose of making Him present to others, especially when they enter into who we are. Each one of us here is a walking, living temple in which God is made present and available to others.

Joke:  John Smith was the only Protestant to move into a large Catholic neighborhood. On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill. Meanwhile, all of his neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper. This went on each Friday of Lent.

On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John. He was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn't take it anymore. They decided to try and convert John to be a Catholic. They went over and talked to him and were so happy that he decided to join all of his neighbors and become a Catholic. They took him to Church, and the Priest sprinkled some water over him, and said, "You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, and now you are Catholic." The men were so relieved, now their biggest Lenten temptation was resolved.

The next year's Lenten season rolled around. The first Friday of Lent came, and just at supper time, when the neighborhood was setting down to their tuna fish dinner, came the wafting smell of steak cooking on a grill. The neighborhood men could not believe their noses! WHAT WAS GOING ON?

They called each other up and decided to meet over in John's yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent. The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water. He was sprinkling some water over his steak on the grill, saying, 

"You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, and now you are a fish."

Practical Applications:  1) Let us remember that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit.  St. Paul reminds us that we are God’s temples because the Spirit of God dwells in us.  Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by impurity, injustice, pride, hatred, jealousy.  Let us cleanse it asking God’s forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation. 

2) Our relationship with God must be that of a child to his parent, one of mutual love, respect and a desire for the family’s good, with no thought of personal loss or gain. 

3) We need to avoid a calculating mentality in divine worship.  We are not supposed to think of God as a vending machine into which we put our sacrifices and good deeds to get back His blessings.  Let us make our church a holier place by adding our prayers and songs to our parish worship and offering our time and talents in the various ministries.

Introduction : Third Sunday of Lent

Message: The law liberates and leads us to freedom.  It is to be trusted for it is a source of wisdom. Jesus speaks of the ultimate freedom to be won for us by his being raised up.  He is the sign of the power and wisdom of God.

Saints and Events in this Week: 9 – Ninth - Monday - Saint Frances of Rome, Religious;