“My house shall be a house of prayer.”

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

“My house shall be a house of prayer.”

Gospel Reading Luke 19:45-48 Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

In today’s gospel (Luke 19:45-48), we see that Jesus drives the merchants and traders out of his Father’s temple telling that they have made his house “a den for thieves.” All of us are called to be temples of God. When we partake of the Eucharist we become a tabernacle for Christ and carry him with us. This gospel reading is challenging us to examine “What’s in your temple?” The true heart of the gospel readings asks the question, “What do you store up in your heart?” Are you more concerned about the material things in the world, the clothes that you wear or the car that you drive? Or, are you more concerned with what Jesus sees inside your heart, the charitable acts that you commit and the prayer time you give him. Jesus ran the merchants out of his temple and so must we drive the material desires and sinfulness out of ours. We are about to enter into the new liturgical season of Advent. The season is the preparation for the birth of our Lord. Unfortunately, this season has become less about the preparation and more about material commercialism. Christ wants us to stop and reflect upon our inner desires to make sure they are pure. He wants to lead us into a life of reflection and reconciliation where we see the error in our ways and focus our eyes on his truth and justice. There are those who would like to destroy God in your life, but do not let them in. It is time to run them out of the temple and return it to a true house of worship.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, yours is the Temple of Truth and Justice.

Help me empty the temple of those who would rob my feeling for you.

Purify my actions so that they are pleasing to you.

Cleanse my thoughts so that they are not that of the materialist.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon