We Are The Real Temples of God
Introduction
When it was said that the Blessed Virgin appeared inside the bush in Aokpe (Benue) and then Umunya (Anambra), a mad man in Onitsha, angered by the news, queried the constant choice of thick forests by the Holy Mother. “Doesn’t she see all these ornamented cathedrals scattered over the entire Anambra and appear in them?” They said, mad man’s talk. But if we reflect deep into the feast and readings of today, especially, the second reading, we would after all, try to reason with the one that we term mentally un-okay. We are the real temples of God. The cathedrals and the magnificent church structures, made of stones, metals, glass etc. and adorned in gold are what they are: lifeless structures. Their beauty must be true reflection of the beauty of our life as children of God, as Christians, disciples of Christ. We are the living temples and thus must be ready to give account to the owner of the temple: God himself.
1 Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12
The angel brought me to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side. He said, ‘This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.’
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45(46):2-3,5-6,8-9
R. The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is for us a refuge and strength,
a helper close at hand, in time of distress,
so we shall not fear though the earth should rock,
though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea. R.
The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within, it cannot be shaken;
God will help it at the dawning of the day. R.
The Lord of hosts is with us:
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come, consider the works of the Lord,
the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth. R.
2 Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17
You are God’s building. By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ. Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.
Gospel Acclamation: 2 Chronicles 7:16
Alleluia, alleluia!
I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord,
for my name to be there forever.
Alleluia!
Gospel Reading: John 2:13-22
Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: Zeal for your house will devour me. The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.
Commentary
Wow, Jesus was angry. He drove the money-changers from the temple with a whip and overturned their tables as He rebuked them. That must have been quite a scene. It has attracted movie makers.
However, what’s key, here, is that we must understand what sort of “anger” Jesus had. Normally when we speak of anger we mean a passion that is out of control and, in fact, controls us. It’s the loss of control and is a sin. But this is not the anger Jesus had.
Obviously, Jesus was perfect in every way, so we must be very careful not to equate His anger with our normal experience of anger. Yes, it was a passion for Him, but it was different from what we normally experience. His anger was an anger that resulted from His perfect love.
In Jesus’ case, it was love for the sinner and His desire for their repentance that drove His passion. His anger was directed at the sin they were engrossed in and He willfully and intentionally attacked the evil He saw. Yes, this may have been shocking to those who witnessed it, but it was, in that situation, the most effective way for Him to call them to repentance.
At times we will find that we also must be angered by sin. But be careful! It’s very easy for us to use this example of Jesus to justify losing control of ourselves and entering into the sin of anger. Righteous anger (cf. 1 Maccabees 2:24), as Jesus manifested, will always leave one with a sense of peace and love for those who are rebuked. There will also be an immediate willingness to forgive when true contrition is perceived.
Furthermore, to devalue God’s temple is same as devaluing oneself. Because, we are the REAL temple of God that must be kept holy, pure and uncontaminated. That’s Paul’s thesis today. The temple thus is only a sign that represents us as HOLY people of God. Without us, the temple has not meaning, no significance. No value. (See also: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/)
Blessing
Do you know that you are God’s temple and the spirit of the Lord lives in you? Strive always to take care of that temple which is you and let the water that flows from your life bring life to everyone you meet in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!