Saturday, March 14, 2009
3rd Sunday Lent (B) 15 March 2009
四旬期第三主日(聖若望福音 2:13-25)
It is good to keep reminding ourselves that during this season of Lent we are getting ready for Easter and the time when we will make our profession of faith. It is a time when we state once again that we believe in God. Of course, it is more than simply uttering words that state what we believe. The important thing is that our belief puts us in a relationship with God, and this relationship shapes our lives and the way we live. To express our Lenten project in simple words we can say that we are moving to a deeper friendship with Jesus. To know him and to listen to his words are at the core of our faith. On each Sunday of Lent our readings help us to know Jesus better and to deepen that friendship. So let’s consider today’s gospel story.
The story of the cleansing of the Temple is a familiar one, but as we continue to wrestle with its meaning we should look out for clues as to what helps belief in Jesus and what hinders it. I would like to comment on two points. The first is at the beginning of the story when Jesus drives out those selling cattle, sheep and pigeons. I think we need to be clear about what is going on here. This sort of commerce was normal for the Temple. After all, the Temple was a place where sacrifice was offered, so people needed to acquire these animals in order to join in the Temple ritual. So the issue is not that there were stalls set up where people sold animals for sacrifice. Jesus can hardly object to this. Rather, he objects to the way this commerce is carried out. It is as though it is taking place with no thought for God and God’s commands. Instead, the laws of the market place and other forms of commerce have taken over. What is happening here is that people are simply going through certain ritual actions, but with no thought about what they mean. When Jesus tosses them out he is telling people that they need to pay attention to God, and they need to get their own lives in order. Another way of putting this is to say that there is a right way to sell these Temple animals, and it requires that it be linked to fidelity to God and relationship with God.
The second point I want to make about this gospel concerns the dialogue, in the second half, about the destruction of the Temple. Jesus is being asked for a sign to verify the authenticity of what he has done in casting out the sellers and moneychangers. In responding he points to a deeper meaning of what he has done in the Temple. He shifts the focus from the Temple made of stones to the Temple that is his own body. The destruction of the Temple now becomes a sign of what will happen to him. It points to his resurrection. At this point Jesus’ interrogators are shown up to be very different to his disciples. The interrogators don’t believe him; they can’t listen to his word. The disciples, we are told, believe what he says. We shouldn’t think that they understood what it all meant. Remember last week’s Gospel of the Transfiguration? At the end we are told that the three disciples discussed among themselves what rising from the dead might mean. In today’s gospel the disciples are the ones who listen to Jesus and believe in him. They believe not because they understand what will happen in the future, but because they recognise Jesus as the one who speaks the word of God. Of course, they will eventually come to recognise that he is truly the Word of God.
So what does all this mean for us? In the second half of this story we are confronted with a choice between belief and unbelief. This is an important reflection for us at this stage of Lent. Are we people of belief or unbelief? I presume that we will all want to say that we are people of belief; and I am sure we are. However, the gospel pushes this a bit further in Lent. The clue is in the first half of the story, where belief is about the connection we make between our words, actions, and relationships – in other words, the way we live – and our relationship with God. Let me take a concrete example, which is not unlike the gospel scene. During Lent we are encouraged to give something to the poor. Project Compassion is a good example of how we can do this. But Jesus is saying today that it is not simply about giving to the poor – even though this is important. Anyone of any religion or none can give to the poor. For us, particularly at this time of Lent, giving to the poor is an integral part of our belief in God. The point is that we need to avoid any dividing up of our lives into the faith parts and the other parts. All that we do should emerge from that deep source of our relationship with God.
The key to living this way is in our friendship with Jesus, because ever-deepening friendship with Jesus helps us to know him, to listen to him, and – to use the words of today’s gospel – to believe the words he says. I believe that this is particularly important for young people to ponder. A characteristic of that period of life we call youth is that relationships are being worked out, and these relationships help form an identity. A vibrant relationship with Jesus at this time of life is also important in shaping our identity, and giving us a source from which all our other actions can flow. As that relationship develops we truly become, like him, Temples of the living God.
Fr. Gerard Kelly
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