Gospel Thought for Today
9th November: Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Gospel: John 2:13-22
Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple 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 will consume 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 forty-six 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection:
Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.
One of the spaces we have lost during lockdown was our church. It is a sacred space where we, individually and collectively, commune with God. Some would argue that God is anywhere and that you can pray to Him anywhere. While this is true, it is only in church that “[w]e stand taller and straighter when we step onto His holy terrain.” It comes as no surprise that Jesus became indignant with the sellers and money-changers in the Temple of Jerusalem. A sacred space was desecrated. As we gradually re-gather in our church, let us be grateful for the sacred space we have. Let us continuously be aware of its unique function in uniting God’s people in the celebration of the Word and of the Eucharist. Let today’s feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica – the mother of all churches – serve as a reminder of the role each of us in looking after our churches with the zeal that consumed Jesus to cleanse the Temple of profanity.
- How important is your sacred space?
- How can you help in the upkeep of our church?
- How can your presence point out God’s presence in church to others?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Grant us the same zeal that consumed You so that we may worship our Father with all our being in His house. Amen.
