Deacon Kevin’s Reflections on the Third Sunday of Lent

From Exodus, we hear the Ten Commandments being shared with the Israelites for the first time. It was the first set of formal rules given the Chosen People by their God. Those “rules” for acceptable behavior between God and His people are as true today as they were when first handed down. These commandments should guide our decisions and indeed our lives.

In our Gospel, Jesus chases the merchants and the money-changers from the temple. Jesus was outraged that the temple was being used as a marketplace where people could buy things to offer to God. Jesus compares His body to the temple, stating that His temple would be destroyed and rebuilt in three days.

What about our temple? Our body is also a temple. Our soul, which gives us life, gives our body sacred character. We live our lives to give glory, praise, and honor to our God. Is our body and our mind the temple it should be? Do we have merchants or money-changers in the form of addictive behaviors, bad habits, or grudges against people? Now is the time to clean out your temple!

Go to confession to ‘clean out’ your soul and get into right relationship with God. Also take care of your body: lose weight, stop smoking, get enough rest, and exercise. Be a good caretaker of your temple in preparation of the Easter celebration.