Fr. Dan Riley, OFM, and Mike Fenn share their thoughts about today's Gospel, the economy and Lent. Please share your reflections below.Gospel
John 2:13-25
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.
While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of 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,
and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.
He himself understood it well.
By Fr. Dan Riley, OFM, and Mike Fenn
One of many elements I enjoy about preparing for these shared scriptures is that I typically learn a key insight about the reading we reflected upon. In preparation for this message, Fr. Dan and I discussed the gospel 3000 miles away from each other – I in my Buffalo study, and he driving in California to his retreat. He helped me understand the background behind the money changers in the temple. Perhaps this will be enlightening to many of you as well.
People came to the temple from all over, both rich and poor, to practice and proclaim their faith. When they came they were required to purchase an animal for sacrifice. They were not allowed to bring their own animal, but had to buy one specifically from the priests. The prices charged were typically higher than they would pay in an open market. The moneychangers came into play because they had to pay with a Hebrew coin, where most of the poor only held Roman currency. This was another opportunity for the clergy to profit from those that looked to them as their trusted leaders. Knowing this, it’s not at all surprising that Jesus would react in the way that he did.
The “marketplace” is certainly a hot button term these days. With many 401k’s in shambles, and confidence in our business leaders shaken to the core, the theme of this gospel couldn’t be more relevant to our lives. We all feel the outrage toward those we believe put us all collectively in the mess we are in. Yet this outrage is different from what was driving Christ through the temple in the Gospel. He was angered that the least among us were being exploited by those posing as spiritual leaders in His Father’s own house. It’s easy for us to feel we need to batten down the hatches during these times, becoming insular to the seemingly frightening world around us. Yet to call ourselves Christians, it is imperative that we realize we can make a difference in the world by how we treat and care for others, and the way we live our own lives. By living this way, or own bodies become a temple, in practicing the rule Francis taught us, to “Create within ourselves a place where God might dwell.”
(Post a comment below to share your thoughts.)
(Mt. Irenaeus Web Site)
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