Thou shall not make my Father’s House, a market place

Today the Gospel is about cleansing of the Temple. And we have a very idea from this passage. Today is also the 3rd Sunday of the Lent. Just let us examine our selves how far we have done with our spiritual work. Could we answer to the invitation of the Lent? Or what are the areas that we need to improve in us during this short time that is left for us before the celebration of the Easter.

Today’s reading invites to a historical event done by Jesus. That is the cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple. This has a realistic background. The temple of Jerusalem was divided into different section. The entrance was for poor people and sinners and the more inner side one go, one can see the people who were near to the Holy Sanctuary was considered as most holy people. Only priests could go the place called Holy of Holies.

And in the entrance of the temple were poor people were to come and worship is the place where the “trade” took place. And it is from here that Jesus sends out the traders. And where the Pharisees were angry at Him for doing it. The poor could not contribute to the temple enough amount of money, so the trade that which was outside the temple, now is introduced into the inside of the temple.
Just let us look into our churches today. What is happening? Where people are fighting of caste, color, religion, and so on? Even there are dioceses in India where people fought for the bishop of same caste, same rite and so on. How can we speak about the purity of our temples today? We need to look into ourselves and say what is within us about our churches?

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? Asks St: Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16. And please look into our society what happens. We know about the abuse of the children in socially, politically, religious way, sexually also. How can speak about the purity of our own bodies. In India every year 20millon young and old ladies are introduced into prostitution says women Liberation Theology. And 2000cores of rupees is made in India through prostitution says one of the most leading magazine in India. Almost all the counties of the world has same story to tell us. It may not be in the same way as it is in India. So this cleaning of Temple has much meaning in our present society.

Whatever it may be that holds such ideas we need to fight against it and need to get Liberation. Even if we have to talk whip we need to take it. It may be for money, position, power or any such things. Let us shout: “ Thou shall not make my Father’s House, a market place”.
Amen.
BY
SANIL MICHAEL SCJ