March 07, 2021. Homily for the third Sunday of Lent, (Year B)

 

Readings: Ex. 20:1-17; 1 Cor. 1:21-25; Jn. 2:13-25

Stop Making my Father’s House A Marketplace.

1.     The first reading this morning presents us with the 10 Commandments – the Decalogue. This law of love from God, we are told, was written by the finger of God. “When the Lord had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the commandments, the stone tablets inscribed by God’s own finger.” (Ex. 31:18). St Thomas Aquinas defines the law as “Ordinance of reason for the common good, made by him who has care of the community, and promulgated.” Therefore, this law was given for the proper direction of the people of God. “The Decalogue must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God’s great liberating event at the center of the Old Covenant. Whether formulated as negative commandments, prohibitions, or as positive precepts such as: “Honor your father and mother,” the “ten words” point out the conditions of a life freed from the slavery of sin. The Decalogue is a path of life: If you love the Lord your God by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply.” (CCC 2057). The gift of the Commandments is the gift of God himself and his holy will. In making his will known, God revealed himself to his people.

2.     The full meaning of the ten commandments will be revealed in Jesus Christ. Therefore, when he was asked which was the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus replied: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets.” (Mt. 22:37-40). The commandments: “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:9-10).

3.     The Gospel reading is seen as the violation of this law of love, which provoked righteous indignation from Christ. Why this action? How could Christ have been so angry as to destroy things, beat people and knock down their tables and spill their money? We are told that Christ arrives at the Jerusalem Temple for the Passover. The Temple had been under construction for 46 years. To gain access into the Temple one had to pay half a shekel. But if one comes from outside Jerusalem, from Rome or other places, you will have to convert your money to shekels. But those working in Bureau de change were bandits. They charged more than was expected, thereby, cheating the people of God and making it difficult for them to have access to God. This was stealing in the name of God. There were too many abuses, corruption and manipulation going on in the temple of God. And Jesus could not stand it. Jesus had to clean his Father’s house and restate the purpose of the sacred space reserved for the worship of God. My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a marketplace. Isaiah the prophet reminded us of the universal call for all people to come to the house of the Lord. “Them I will bring to my holy mountain and make joyful in my house of prayer; Their holocausts and sacrifices will be acceptable on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (Is. 56:7).

4.     On this third Sunday of Lent, we need some house cleaning. If the Lord comes into our heart, our home, or our Church, what condition will he find them in? Don’t you think some cleaning needs to be going on as we speak? If the Lord came to do an inspection of your heart today what will he find? Will he find anger, bitterness, hatred, lust, immorality, unforgiveness, jealousy, pride, arrogance, laziness, gluttony, indulgence, or deceit? We may hide these indiscretions from people, but our hearts are open before the Lord. What about our spiritual poverty? Will the Lord have any need to call you to pray more? Will he remind you that you are lacking in charity? What about your sacramental life? When did you make use of the sacrament of reconciliation last? Don’t you think you need to approach his throne of grace and ask for forgiveness? Perhaps you do not pay attention in church or you do not help to keep the church clean. What do you think he will say to you then? How respectful are we in Church? Do we see in church a place to fraternize and renew our friendship with one another, or a place to deepen our love for God and one another? May be Christ is asking you to look at your anger. What really infuriates you? Are you upset when the poor are abused and deprived of the basic necessities of life, just because they have no voice? Do you stand up and speak for them? Are you upset with the way people use God to further their own ends?  Dear friends, Christ wants to help us clean out the mess and the clutters of our lives. He wants to change us into men and women who keep the commandment of love. May we never turn his house into anything but a house of prayer. Be blessed.

 

Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP